Sisters

February 2015 (Lena 39 months, McKinley 6 months)

In October 2014 we officially learned that McKinley is Lena's genetic sibling.  We had guessed as much since they have so many similarities: the shape of their mouth, the color of their eyes, the shape of their head, their noses, the way they sound when they sneeze, the fact that they both sneeze profusely in direct sunlight...I could go on and on...  The fact that they are genetic siblings is amazing for many reasons but primarily because McKinley, statistically, should never have been born.  

November 2014 (Lena 36 months, McKinley 3 months)

 Lena and McKinley were frozen in the same straw of embryos at the 2PN stage (18 hours after fertilization). (They were created and frozen together in 2006.) They were thawed at the same time in March 2011 and then spent 5 days together in a petri dish until they were blastocysts.  McKinley was then deemed by the embryologist as the "lowest quality" embryo of the three that were thawed and was refrozen.  Lena and her sibling (the embryo on the left) were transferred but we lost Lena's twin at 7 weeks. Three transfers later, in November 2013 McKinley was thawed again after having survived being frozen and thawed twice and was transferred and born 10 months later against incredible odds. They are now reunited again!

McKinley Jane and Lena Joyce together in a petri dish (the two embryos on the right) (March 2011)

McKinley Jane and Lena Joyce together once again at St. Jude (August 2014)

It was a very difficult decision for Dan and I to refreeze one of the three embryos instead of transferring all three.  I remember calling myself a "utilitarian" for choosing to refreeze McKinley to avoid jepardizing Lena and her twin by risking a triplet pregnancy.  I wonder now what would have happened had we transferred all three embryos at once...but McKinley and Lena are here now and together again! 

Lena loving on her sister in utero! 

A hug for McKinley when I was in my third trimester.

Excited to become a big sister!

Lena gets to touch McKinley for the first time.

Visiting baby sister on the day she was born.

Giving McKinley her Sunshine Bear

Holding McKinley for the first time and giving her the first of many kisses.

Lena didn't like having to go home with Grandma and Grandpa when we stayed in the hospital.  She insisted on giving McKinley a hug and a kiss before she left for the evening.

So excited to see sister during a hospital visit.

The big sister!  "She came out!"

A new companion to keep us company on our car rides.

Sisterly affection

Lena loves holding McKinley

Another chance to hold sister or "Little" as Lena calls Kinley

Kinley Jane hanging out in the boppy with Lena

On some nights Kinley joins Lena in bed for story time.

It will fun to watch these two miracle girls grow together.  They have come so far to both be here with us. 

Lena and McKinley with their Care Bears - Feb. 2015

RE Office Behavior Expectations...and Reality

"To ensure the safety of your child and optimize your visit, please refrain from bringing children to your appointment, if possible." Thank You

This is the sign that hangs right next to the reception desk in Dr. K's office.  During my last several visits there have been families with children in the waiting room: once a woman with an infant and toddler, a different time a couple with a toddler and a baby, another time an Italian/English speaking family with two boys in the 3-4 years old range, and today a couple with a young toddler (maybe 18 months old).   Most of the time these families have not only brought children into a place that should be child free but they turn the waiting room into their own personal romper room: they are loud, overly permissive with their children letting them climb all over everything and once even play a game of tag around the office, and seem to be oblivious to the fact that the majority of men and women who are sitting in the waiting room are there because they are going through a very intense, emotional, and perhaps painful experience in trying to have a child.

Many times it would have been MUCH easier for me to bring Lena with me to my appointments.  I usually have to drive an extra 90 minutes to take her to stay with family while I am at my appointment.  But I want to respect the fact that when someone is waiting anxiously to find out if they will finally be a mom or if their hopes will be crushed they don't want to be bombarded with images of what they cannot yet have.  The RE office should be a safe zone - and as stress free as possible.  I totally get that some people might not have the luxury of having family near by to watch older siblings while they attend appointments.  Even the sign in the RE office acknowledges this when they use the words "if possible".  But these families are intrusive and insensitive with their behavior.  Dad and the kids could wait in the large hall outside until the family is called back for their appointment.  Parents could have quieter activities or snacks prepared to keep their kids more subdued in the waiting room.  It is just hard for me to excuse the selfish behavior of these families.
Maybe I am over reacting.  I don't think so.  Infertility is a difficult and emotionally trying experience.  Anyone who adds to the emotional burden of an infertile person is a sadist or incredibly self-focused.

The Plan is Set - Do Genetics Matter?

Friday's appointment with Dr. K went great!  It was A LOT of driving in one day.  I spent 2/3 tank of gas and 5.5 hours on the road but my blood work and ultrasound went well - I have an 11 mm, triple stripe lining which the nurses were excited about.  After a really fun lunch date with my cousin who lives near Dr. K's office I came back to sit down with Dr. K to discuss our plan for the transfer.   I've been wondering what he was going to suggest considering he doesn't like to put in more than two embryos but last transfer he let us put in all three surviving embryos.  We have one left from Lena's set and two from our Snowflakes match. I knew that I for sure wanted to use Lena's sibling embryo first but I don't necessarily like the idea of using two genetic families in one transfer.  But I also don't like the idea of only transferring one embryo or having only one embryo left in frozen storage.   Dan's preference was to thaw all three embryos and transfer all surviving embryos.  After some thought I decided that was what I most felt comfortable with as well.  To my surprise Dr. K (without me having mentioned anything yet) suggested that very plan.  He said that he didn't want just one embryo left in storage and that I really needed to be pregnant.  I was so relieved that we agreed on the same FET plan so quickly.  I feel better knowing that there won't be any difficult decision on transfer day.  I did ask him about when we might do genetic testing if I do get pregnant since we are using embryos from more than one donor family.  His response took me a little by surprise, he said, "Does it matter?  A baby is a baby."  I told him of course I would be happy with any baby but that Snowflakes requires us to notify them if a child is born from our adopted embryos.  After thinking more on the matter I thought of a couple more reasons why I would want to know which genetic family our baby was from:

1. Emotionally it will be good for me to know asap if I am carrying Lena's genetic sibling or not since it has been my hope for this to happen.  If I am not carrying Lena's genetic sibling that will be a loss for me and I will need to mourn that loss.
2. For medical reasons (genetic history) it is important for us to know which family our baby comes from.
3. When the time is right I think Lena and the new baby have the right to know their genetic background if they want to.  

My concern  - and I already have some guilt over feeling this way - is that I don't feel as attached to our Snowflakes embryos as I do to the remaining embryo in Lena's match.  I don't think it is strange or prejudice for me to feel more attached to her set because I know so much more about Lena's genetic family and of course because I know and LOVE my precious Lena.  I have no doubt that if I do get pregnant with embryos from our Snowflakes set I will be ecstatic about it and will begin to bond with this new baby (babies) the same way I have bonded with Lena.  It surprised me a little that Dan feels totally different than I do about this.  He said that he honestly wouldn't even care to know if our baby (babies) are genetically related to Lena or not.  I was a little incredulous about that.

I am not sure how I feel about this transfer.  I am trying to remain balanced between being guarded and cautious and being hopeful and optimistic.  I have two conflicting truths battling in my head:

1. Our three remaining embryos are remaining because they are of the lowest quality of all our embryos and we started with 16 embryos from two donor families.  Statistically this transfer is a "long shot".  The odds are stacked against us that the embryos would survive the thaw let alone implant and grow.  The embryo from Lena's genetic match has already been thawed, grown out, and refrozen nearly three years ago and the embryos from our Snowflakes match are thought to have been frozen improperly since the other two from the same match were so badly damaged when they were thawed in our first FET over three years ago.  (They came from a lab in New York.)
2. Psalm 139 says, " For you created my inmost being... Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."  And 1 Corinthians 1 says, "Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?...For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength...But God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong...so that no one may boast before him...Therefore, let the one who boasts boast in the Lord."  I don't know if our embryos will make it this FET but I do know I would be a fool to discount the will and power of a mighty God who likes to take the near impossible and make it possible for His glory.  

I start my progesterone shots tonight.  Let the FET fun begin!  Nurse T was kind enough to draw large sharpie circles on my backside for Dan so that we don't make the same mistakes as last transfer.  My transfer is scheduled for 12:45 pm PST on Friday, November 22 and then our first BETA will be on December 2nd.  We are traveling that day and will most likely postpone the BETA to December 3rd but as always I will do home pregnancy tests to keep my sanity / make myself crazy.  Only other infertile ladies can truly understand the juxtaposition of those two thoughts!

Pay Day!

Well today I am headed across Southern California to have my final appointment before our transfer day on November 22nd.  Today is "Pay Day" and I am just so amazed and thankful for the nearly $2200 we have raised to help us pay this bill.  There is something very satisfying about handing over a check card versus a credit card to pay for the FET.  I wanted to give a huge THANK YOU to the many friends and family members who have donated items to our EBAY store to help us with our adoption expenses.  We are still $800 short of our needed funds but we are finally having our yard sale on Saturday and hope to make at least a little more money to cover the expenses for this FET.

I have a double appointment today because Dr. K has a crazy schedule so I will have my blood drawn in the morning then enjoy a nice lunch with my cousin who lives nearby and go back for my ultrasound, FET instructions, and a 30 minute visit with Dr. K where we will discuss our plan for this FET and possibly beyond.  Pray this conversation goes well.  These kinds of discussions always make me so nervous!

FET #5 Transfer Date Scheduled

Transfer day is two weeks from today - on November 22nd!  Aunt Flow showed up on Halloween and I made the drive and saw Dr. K the next day for my baseline ultrasound and bloodwork and began my Delestrogen shots that same night.

FET #5 meds have arrived!

Today was my second visit to Dr. K's office.  It is a little crazy that I have to drive for 4.5 hours (round trip) for a 20 minute doctor appointment but considering some people fly across the world to see him I really don't have that far to go to get great care. Today the weather was great and I had such nice views from the freeway.

Downtown LA from the 101 fwy - I was able to snap this shot because traffic was at a stand still!

Next week is my last appointment before transfer day.  I have some extra time with Dr. K because we will be discussing our plan for the embryos.  We have three left in storage: two from our first Snowflakes match and one left from Lena's match (it is a blast that was thawed as a 2PN when Lena was thawed in March 2011 and then refrozen).  We will see what comes of that conversation.

FET #5 Update: Aunt Flow is MIA!

This post is for my EA buddies and to my male family and friends...you might just want to skip this one.

Our plans for an October FET have been delayed!  In August when we found out we lost our babies from my pregnancy in FET #4 the last words Nurse A had for me were, "give us a call when you get your period."  After I went off my meds I miscarried surprisingly fast (on September 7th).  I decided to let my body rest for one menstrual cycle and figured we would just begin our next FET cycle at the beginning of October when my next period was due.  Well...my body has other plans apparently. It has been 46 days and counting since my miscarriage and still no period.  While this is not totally unusual, it is unusual for me.  I can only assume my body is readjusting after my pregnancy and miscarriage in August.  I know what you might be thinking...I am not pregnant.  I took a test; it was negative.  At least we've had additional time to raise the funds for our next transfer.  We are only $823 away from our goal of $2500 we need for Dr. K's FET fees!  My EBAY sales have been steady.  In fact I need to prep a bunch of items to restock my store because the inventory is so low!  It has been really neat to see how my EBAY store has allowed family and friends to support our adoption and be part of this process.  Here is just one example:

This is a package of love; an item one friend donated to our adoption fund eBay store and then bought by another friend.

Hopefully "Aunt Flow" will make her appearance soon.  We have a fun family adventure planned at the end of November for my cousin's wedding and I would hate to delay my cycle or have our FET be too close to our trip.  Stay tuned!

UPDATE....(10/30).....54 days and counting...

Exciting FET #5 Fundraising Update!

About a month ago we began fundraising for our next FET which will hopefully be sometime at the end of this month.  Our half.com and eBay sales have been steady and we have so many more items to list!  This week we realized that while the fundraising is going well it is slow and we won't have the cash in hand to pay Dr. K which means either postpone the FET or put it on the credit card.  Then at the end of the week I got an email from someone who found our Aruba vacation rental on Redweek.com and within 24 hours we completed the rental agreement!  We now have an additional $900 in our bank account for this FET and will get the other $900 in the spring which we will save for future adoption efforts!  How awesome and timely was that!?  I only had it listed for six weeks and it is rented already.  We have another 2014 rental week in Palm Desert, CA that we will list this week and we still have our garage sale that we will do (probably in November).  That brings our current total for FET #5 to $1327!  I made five more eBay sales this weekend and will list a few more items this week so our total will hopefully keep rising. We need $2500 for Dr. K in a few weeks and I will have to order about $350 in FET medications this week so we are about halfway to our financial goal!  This was so encouraging to us and we are so thankful for the way that God has provided for us financially.  We look forward to seeing what God has in store for our family.

And then there was the eve of 7dp5dt +UPDATE

I am having an emotional crisis so I put Lena in the crib with juice and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and I'm lying on the bed eating chocolate that I am not supposed to be eating.  I thought I had it all under control.  I got her up from her nap and made her a juice and snack and directed her towards her toys so I could clean up the messy kitchen and make Dan dinner.  And then she dumped her juice on the living room carpet, cried, and wouldn't let go of my legs. 

Help!  My house is a disaster, I am STILL cramping from the transfer almost a full week later, I am STILL seething from having to drive 4.5 hours round trip today to Dr. K's for a simple blood draw for estrogen levels because insurance won't pay and the local lab wanted $350 for the test, the maddening "what if" crazies have begun to spin in my head, the PIO shots are really starting to be a pain in my butt - literally (bruises, welts, knots, rashes, and itching), and to top it all off I start my new job tomorrow.  Welcome to my pity party.  This is my fourth FET and days 7-10 are the toughest to endure, ALWAYS!  The logical woman inside my head is telling me to sit down, make a list, and prioritize.  She is telling me, "Everything doesn't have to be perfect right now."  But I hate admitting when I am defeated and I totally feel that way right now.  I don't even know how to finish this post.  I am waving the white flag.  I am sure I will re-read this at some point in the future and laugh at how dramatic I became over spilled juice.  I blame the PIO.  Those wicked little hormones... 

FYI:  7dp5dt means 7 days post 5 day transfer

UPDATE:
I have the best husband EVER!  He came home after working a 10 hour shift.  He brought dinner and sent me up to bed. He fed Lena, took her to the park, gave her a bath and then put her to bed.  And when I got up this morning I discovered that he stayed up late to clean the entire kitchen.  I went to my first day as a second grade homeschool co-op teacher and it went so well and I LOVED it!  Lena had a great day visiting Grandma and Grandpa while I was at work.  So thankful tonight for a loving and thoughtful husband and the prayers and support of my family and friends. 

Shot Lessons 2.0

We were a few weeks into my Delestrogen shots for FET #4 and I was experiencing lots of bleeding and pain from the tiny 22 gage needles.  When I was speaking with Trish the nurse at my my weekly ultrasound and bloodwork appointment I mentioned this to her.  She immediately told me to "shut the door and drop my drawers".  She could tell right away from the knots in my rear that Dan had been giving me my shots directly in my sciatic nerve which is why they have been so bloody and painful!  She drew two large bullseyes in red sharpie on my rear/hips and guess what....that night and every since then my shots haven't hurt and there has been little blood!  Yea!  I can't believe we got all the way to our fourth FET before we fixed this issue.  Dan rightfully blames the diagram they gave us for giving shots as it did not accurately show us where to give the shot.  (Ha! Maybe my backside is bigger than most!)  Anyways...I just want to tell all the other ladies out there who have to do fertility shots to ask your nurse to "bullseye" you!  It was super helpful and I love that my shots don't hurt anymore!

Dan has always been the shot giver in all of our FETs.  I told him it was his duty and while he doesn't like doing it, he always does it dutifully and mostly with a good attitude (except when we almost forget and have to get out of bed to do the shots).  This week since I am staying at my parents' house while Dan goes back to our city/home to work I am left with no choice but to give myself my shots.  Yikes!  So last night before Dan left I practiced under his guidance and I did it!  I drew the progesterone and stuck myself with the needle.  I almost blacked out doing it.  I started getting really light headed as I pushed the meds into my rear and then I got so nauseous and hot.  I had to have him hold me up while I finished and then sit down immediately.  It was pretty comical and over-dramatic - there is a reason why I never considered becoming a nurse!  I am a little nervous but tonight I am giving myself my shot again and this time without Dan around.  Here's to hoping I don't get so squeamish this time!

FET #4: Meet the Newest Shacks!

Dan always brings his sense of humor to every occasion!

 On August 13th we made the trip to Dr. K's office to meet our new babies.  Rather than stay at a hotel the night before like we did with our other three transfers we decided to stay with my parents who live closer to Dr. K than we do.  They watched Lena while we were away for the day and they are helping watch her while I stay down on bed rest for the next three days.  We feel really great about how the transfer went and have great peace about everything which is so different from our transfer last November.  We showed up at 10:45 as directed for our 11:30 transfer.  The office was very busy that day so our transfer was delayed for 45 minutes or so.  Finally we were called back to the transfer room and after awhile the embryologist came in to discuss how our embryos did in the thaw.  We had decided to thaw two 2PN embryos from Lena's match.  They were thawed on Friday, August 9th and only one of them had survived.  The second embryo looked great but the embryologist said it was growing very slowly.  It was only 10 cells when it should be 100 cells..but it looked good and it was still growing.

Our first embryo that was transferred - 2PN 10 cells

Proud Papa with embryo #1

The embryologist then asked us what we wanted to do and we were given two choices: thaw more embryos (we had three blasts left from Lena's match and two blasts from our first adopted match) or just transfer our one surviving embryo.  We decided to thaw one blast from Lena's match and the embryologist left to do her work.  We waited for another hour or so...

Dan getting a little reading done while we wait.

Me showing off my funking pink transfer socks.

...and then the embryologist came back in.  She told us that they had to thaw two more blasts because they were frozen together.  One was looking good and the other not so good.  They brought us a picture of our first embryo and the good blast that they had thawed.  I don't know why they didn't take a picture of the blast that didn't look so good.  My thoughts were that they were going to transfer only two and refreeze the other blast if it survived.

Our "good" blast.

Proud Mama with the picture of two of the three embryos.  

 I took my Dizapam and began to feel very relaxed as we waited for Dr. K to come in.  I was really surprised when Dr. K walked in and asked us, "How do you feel about putting all three in?  I am okay with that."  We both quickly stated yes!  Dr. K had always been very strong about only putting two embryos in.  The discussion I had with him a few weeks ago about not thawing more embryos than we put in must have impacted him a little.  I am glad I spoke up even though it was hard to do so.  So we actually transferred three embryos this FET!  The transfer went really smoothly.  It was slightly uncomfortable having the ultrasound wand pushed on my bladder when it was so full!

During the actual transfer.

The black blob in the top right is my bladder.  The small bright white blob in the center is the embryos after they were put in my uterus.

Relaxing after the transfer.  I was so comfy for the most part and glad I didn't overfill my bladder this time.

We are so thankful that everything went as well as it did.  We both feel very at peace with how the transfer went.  My first BETA (pregnancy test) is scheduled for August 23rd but as always I will do a home test several days before then.  

Here is to hoping the Lord blesses us with Shack baby #2... or #3.... or #4....

The Glad Game and the 101 Freeway

Our cycle for our fourth FET has officially begun!  Yesterday I spent five and half hours in the car driving in LA traffic to and from my first appointment with Dr. K.  The drive is not my favorite part of this process..in fact I dread it.  With our first two FETs Dan would often accompany me to my appointments and we would stop at various fun destinations in downtown LA to make a fun day of our journey to see Dr. K.  Now that we have Lena (who is not allowed in Dr. K's office for good and obvious reasons) I go to my appointments alone.  Yesterday tried to pull out my inner "Pollyanna" and find the good in my commute to Dr. K.  My first "glad" thought was that I only live a few hours by car away from Dr. K when he has many patients that fly all the way from Asia and across the US to see him.  Next, I was "glad" to see that it was a beautiful day in LA.  There wasn't smog and the skies were blue and clear which gave me a great view off the city and surrounding areas.  Next, I was "glad" to be driving by so many iconic sites while I was in traffic on the 101 freeway (which is the old "El Camino Real" route) which winds through the heart of Los Angeles and then up through Hollywood and Studio City and onward to Dr. K.  I drive right by the Capitol Records building, have a clear view of the Hollywood sign, and drive past numerous studios including the famed Universal Studios.

I was also "glad" to have time to listen to Mumford and Sons and Dave Matthews and an interesting segment on "The Dave Ramsey Show".  Lastly, I was "glad" to arrive safely and on time to all my destinations.  I had a good appointment with Dr. K and my favorite nurse Ms. A.  I had my baseline ultrasound and blood work done.  I also tentatively scheduled our FET for August 12th and ordered our meds for this cycle.  I didn't end up having any meaningful conversation with Dr. K.  When he asked me if I had any questions I totally chickened out and said "no".  I don't know why...but I am terrified to discuss with him how uncomfortable I was with his decision to thaw additional embryos for our last transfer without my consent.  It is a conversation I need to have with him at some point soon so I will muster up the courage next time.  I want all surviving thawed embryos put in and he doesn't like to put in more than two.  Somehow we will have to agree on what is best to do.  Anyways, Dan gave me my first delestrogen shot last night which hurt and stung quite badly.  I make the trek back to Dr. K again next Tuesday.  Anyone want to visit with me on the phone while I talk on bluetooth and brave the streets of LA next week?  ; )

Support Our Adoption! Take a Fun Vacation! - New Locations and Weeks Now Available!

Well...we haven't been successful so far but I am not giving up that someone out there needs a really great vacation for a good price and at the same time can help us out with our adoption expenses!  We have just made two of our weeks for 2014 available today for rental and what is great is that since it is early you can pick the dates you want us to book for you!  Here is what is currently available:

Property #1
 Marriott Grande Vista in Orlando, Fl 
7 Nights - June 7-14, 2013 
2 bed /2 bath with full kitchen and living room - sleeps 8
Best offer will be accepted! (includes all taxes and fees)
(We will lose this week so make us an offer! - We would love to get at least $700 to cover our basic costs.)
Click here to access details from our rental flyer.
Click here to visit the Grande Vista website.
Click here to visit Grande Vista's Tripadvisor page.

Property #2: 
Marriott Aruba Ocean Club - Palm Beach, Aruba
7 Nights with Flexible Check in!
You pick the check in date any time from May 2 - Dec 8, 2014!
1 bed / 1 bath Ocean View with full kitchen and living room - sleeps 4
 $1600 for the week and includes all taxes and fees
Click here to access details from our rental flyer.
Click here to visit the Aruba Ocean Club website.
Click here to visit Aruba Ocean Club's Tripadvisor page.

Property #3:  
Marriott Shadow Ridge - Palm Desert, CA 
7 Nights with Flexible Check in!
You pick the check in date any time from June 1 - July 1 or Sept 7 - Dec 2, 2014!
2 bed / 2 bath with full kitchen and living room - sleeps 8
$1400 for the week and includes all taxes and fees
Click here to access details from our rental flyer.
Click here to visit the Shadow Ridge website.
Click here to visit Shadow Ridge's Tripadvisor page.

If you want more information contact me!
Elizabeth -  eshack621@aol.com
Please feel free to link to this post if you would like to share with family and friends that might be interested!  The Shadow Ridge and Aruba weeks will be posted on www.redweek.com if you or your family and friends feel more comfortable going through that route but if you book directly with us now the more availability there will be for the dates you want.  We are going to both the Aruba Ocean Club and the Shadow Ridge Villages again this summer so watch for our pics and reviews on my blog in the coming weeks!

Adoption FUNdraising!

One of my big projects this spring has been to work on raising funds for our next embryo transfer for our remaining adopted embryos.  It is looking like August will be our month and we will need $3000 as early as July to cover our medical expenses and the cost of the medicine.  We were really close and then we had to use a big chunk to pay for our embryo frozen storage fees for 2013.  I have added to our blog a fundraiser tracker as well as an info list of all of the ways you can help us raise adoption funds.  Here are some additional details:

My little EBAY helper getting ready to ship several packages!

EBAY
Lena and I have been EBAYing quite a bit!  My store is actually a little empty right now so I need to get into the garage and find some more items to sell.  I am adding items pretty regularly so if you don't see something you like check back!  Visit my store here!  Also, if you are in Southern Cal and have something to donate to my EBAY store please email me and I can arrange to pick it up from you.

Marriott Grande Vista in Orlando, Fl June 7-14 . ($1000 OBO for the week and includes all taxes and fees)

Marriott Shadow Ridge Villas in Palm Desert, CA June 28-July 5. ($1200 for the week and includes all taxes and fees) 

Vacation Rentals
Our biggest items to "sell" are two weeks rental of our Marriott Vacation Timeshare.  We have just REDUCED THE PRICES of these weeks.  The Orlando, FL week is a use it or lose it week so please make us an offer or it will simply go to waste!  We only have two weeks left to sell the Palm Desert, CA week before we have to bank it if it doesn't sell.  Help us spread the word about these rentals!  Click on the captions above to get lots of details about the rentals.  Each unit is a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo that sleeps 8 people with full kitchen, living room, private laundry, and full access to the property's ammenities.

Clothing / Item Swap
A fellow adoptive mom is hosting a clothing/item swap for us on May 18th at 2pm in La Mirada, CA.  If you live nearby and would like to participate please email me and I can have her send you the evite.  You just bring $25 for our adoption plus one or two bags of clothes and items and you go home with one to two bags of clothes and items that you choose at the swap.

We may have some other fundraising efforts in the near future and I will be sure to post about those opportunities.  Thanks friends!

A Special Anniversary

Lena on March 9, 2011

Lena on March 7, 2013

Elizabeth and Lena on March 9, 2011

Elizabeth and Lena on November 26, 2012

Happy Transfer Day to Lena!  It is amazing to think of how much our lives have changed in just two short years.  God has blessed us beyond measure!  It is also the anniversary of renewing our contract for the cryogenic storage of Lena's siblings.  We received the contract in the mail this week:

If you look at our contract you can see where I marked our check mark a second time.  I actually got nervous that the mark wasn't dark enough so I went over my first mark.  It is amazing to me, especially after having seen the miraculous transformation in Lena from embryo to precious little girl, that "Dispose" and "Donate to Research" are allowable options for frozen embryos.  My stomach actually turns a bit at the thought and rightly so.  It also makes me so incredibly thankful and glad that Lena's genetic family chose the path that led her to us.  They like us received this same form and with a simple check mark could have snuffed out Lena's life.  Today and always I am thankful that Lena is with us.  Her life is such a gift!