The Thaw

Five years ago today I got one of the most important phone calls of my life and I missed it while I was at my friend Sarah's baby shower.  I remember after the shower was over standing on the sidewalk outside the house nervously listening to this voicemail message....the message that brought news that would change my life.  March 5, 2011 was the day that Lena and McKinley were thawed as embryos after being frozen together by their genetic family in 2006.  We received this precious picture of these embryos four days after this phone call on transfer day.  Lena and her twin (on the left) were transferred to my womb and McKinley (on the right) was refrozen and kept in frozen storage for almost three more years before she was thawed again and transferred to my womb.  I kept this voicemail on my phone for four years...I couldn't ever bring myself to delete it and so I recently recorded it instead.  The Lord has done things in my life that I would never have imagined.  Miraculous things!  He is so very good to me. http://youtu.be/zHw6DwcRvjM

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

Baby Shack's Dr. Seuss Nursery

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!

Happy Transfer Day Lena!!!

The Miracle of Embryo Adoption:  

Our Journey to Lena Joyce

(All the pictures in this post are of Lena.) 

  ¹³ For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 
-Psalm 139:13-14

"Because after all; 
A person's a person 
no matter how small." 
-Dr. Seuss 

2006 –   Lena is created in a lab through the IVF process using her genetic Dad’s sperm and an egg from an egg donor and is placed in frozen storage 18 hours after fertilization.

July 2009 -  Dan and Elizabeth begin the adoption process.

November 2010 – Lena’s donor family decide that their family is complete and donate Lena and 11 other embryos from her set back to the IVF clinic for adoption.

December 2010 -  Our doctor at the IVF clinic matches us with Lena’s set of embryos.  

February 2011 - Our legal “adoption” of Lena is complete.

March 5, 2011 – Lena is thawed after being frozen for nearly five years.

March 9, 2011 – After growing for five days in a petri dish, Lena is transferred to Elizabeth’s body.

March 19, 2011 – We find out that the transfer was successful and Elizabeth is pregnant with Lena.

April 1, 2011 – We see Lena’s heartbeat on the ultrasound for the first time at six weeks.

June 21, 2011 -  At 18 weeks we find out that Lena is a healthy little girl!

November 3, 2011 -  Lena arrives three weeks early and is born by c-section at 8:57pm at 4lbs 3oz

Thanksgiving 2011 – Lena continues to be a beautiful and healthy blessing to her mom and dad.

December 2011 - Lena is one month old.

January 2012 - Lena is two months old.

February 2012 - Lena is three months old.

March 2012 - Lena is four months old.

We can't wait to see how our Lena will grow and change.  She is such an amazing little person and we are enjoying watching her grow up. 

So this is love...

Daddy and his little "Lena Peanut" as he calls her.

Last night we came home after Lena's 8pm feeding and bath.  It was hard to leave her in the NICU but we know they are taking good care of her and we were glad to get some needed rest before today.  We are headed out to the hospital to spend the day with Lena.  The NICU nurses have been great working with us on caring for her, breastfeeding, etc.  The doctor hopes to send her home with us either today or tomorrow.  We will see.  

Meet the Newest Shackleton!

 

Lena Joyce Shackleton born November 3, 2011 via c-section at 8:57pm. 4lbs 3oz 17 1/4 inches long and as cute as can be! Thanks for the well wishes everyone. We can't wait to bring her home!

Still trying to induce...

Well what can I say, I have a very stubborn cervix.  They have been trying for the past 36 hours to get it open with gel and pills.  I just received my 8th dose.  The good news is that with the help of medication they have been able to safely stabilize my blood pressure and baby girl is looking really good.  This gives us time to work on my cervix rather than rush to a c-section.   I have an IV with three meds, take an oral blood pressure medicine, get blood drawn every 6 hrs, a blood pressure cuff for regulated checks, a cathiter, and belly monitors for baby's heartbeat and my contractions.  Even with all that it hasn't been too bad being in the hospital.  I am resting, visiting with family, and looking forward to meeting our girl. Once in a while I hear a loud baby crying and I know a mom in another room down the hall has just delivered.  I am excited for my turn soon!  We may have to wait days rather than hours for the cervix to cooperate.  We shall see...

FYI: Several nurses have commented on how patient I am.  Oh if they only knew how short a few days is in the whole scheme of things.  I know many of you out there know exactly how I feel!

Induced

Well, my blood pressure kept rising and the doctor has decided to induce labor tonight.  We will begin with some gel to soften the cervix and then on to petocin in the afternoon tomorrow.  Baby Girl Shack should be arriving sometime Nov. 1st or 2nd!  Exciting!

Baby Girl Shack Update!

 Guess where I am? After a great ultrasound appt this morning (baby girl is in the correct position and doing well - weighing about 5 lbs) I was promptly admitted to labor and delivery at St. Jude for preclampsia. By tomorrow night we will have an answer from the doctor about what to do: go home on bedrest, stay in the hospital on bedrest, or be induced for an early delivery. We are ready for anything but praying we can stay home on bedrest for a week or two longer before Baby Shack makes her appearance.

It is not a pretty sight folks...

I made the mistake of wearing socks tonight.  My legs and feet are soooo swollen!  It is a good thing I am on maternity leave after tomorrow because I am not sure my body can take another 11 hour work day.   I tried going to several drug stores to purchase compression stockings to help with the swelling but they 1) are soooooo expensive!  2)  don't have my size or style in stock.  Oh well.  I've gone without them this long a few more weeks won't matter.  I am 36 weeks tomorrow and getting more and more excited each day to meet our baby girl.  I love the suspense of not knowing when I will go into labor.  Last night Baby Girl had the hiccups for the first time.  It was a little freaky at first seeing my belly tick and twitch at a steady rhythm.  I had heard about babies getting hiccups in the womb but I had no idea how strong they could be.  Today she has been moving a ton!  Waaay more than normal.  We go for our last ultrasound on Halloween to check what position she is in and I am really excited to see how much she has grown and changed since our last ultrasound in June. 

Baby Shack Belly - 35 Weeks!

Baby Shower #2!!!

A few weeks ago the ladies from my church threw me a baby shower!  It was great to celebrate the soon to arrive Baby Girl Shack with my friends who have supported, encouraged, and prayed for Dan and I as we have struggled with infertility and pursued embryo adoption.

My lovely shower hostesses: Mindy, Lindsay, Sheryl, and Laura!

The theme of this baby shower was vintage ABCs.  Very cute and very appropriate for a teacher and avid children's book collector like myself. 

The rooms were filled with little vignettes of vintage ABC toys.

More cute vintage girly decorations by my sister in law Lindsay.

Me with my sister in law Lindsay who did all of the decorations.

It was such a fun tablescape full of yummy treats.  I especially enjoyed the cheese platter.

Check out this masterpiece!  It was as delicious as it looks.

Me with my Mom aka Grandma who has played such an important role already in our baby girl's little life.

I had fun making these fun goody bags filled with my Bath and Body Works favorites for my hostesses.