Embryo Adoption
This page was created to help bring those of you just joining us on our journey toward embryo adoption up to speed. This page includes our embryo adoption timeline, as well as helpful information we’ve gathered along the way about the process, medications, and links to embryo adoption pages and helpful blogs.
You will see that our embryo adoption journey began in September of 2010 and that our transfer happened in April of 2012. The process took longer for us because we paused in the middle for surgeries that Jason and I had. It wasn’t until August of 2011 that we officially decided to move forward with embryo adoption.
That said, enjoy! We hope this page will be a helpful resource for you. And, as always, please contact us with any questions that you may have.
Timeline:
12/01/07: Prayerfully Began Trying for Children
06/04/10: Diagnosed with Male Factor Infertility
07/26/10: Diagnosed with Female Factor Infertility-Yup, that’s right. BOTH OF US. 
07/27/10: Kate Writes a Letter to the Baby
9/1/10: First heard of Embryo Adoption (EA)
9/15/10: Embryo Adoption-Explained/Defined
9/17/10: Jason Blogs on His Thoughts on Infertility and EA
9/19/10: Embryo Adoption Sunday at Cedar Park (EASCP)
9/20/10: We Turn in Our Application for EA
9/21/10: Jason Blogs about Meeting other EA Couples and EASCP Director
9/28/10: Kate Gives an EA Update Post-Steps to Start Working on in the Process
10/1/10: Sent in all FBI and WSP Background Paperwork
10/3/10: Met With Our Pastor to Share the Plan
10/6/10: Physicals Complete, Paperwork Signed
10/7/10: Kate Gives Another EA Update-Steps Completed, New Timeline???!/PRAYER REQUESTS’
10/7/10: WSP Background Paperwork Comes Back in Less Than a Week
10/8/10: Start Praying for Donor Couple
10/9/10: Our Home Study with Heather/Turn in All Paperwork
10/11/10: A Post About our Donor Couple Before Ever Meeting Them
10/15/10: Successful Surgery, Tubes Opened
11/20/10: A Friend Writes a Letter to Our Babies
04/01/11: Jason Has Varicocele Surgery
07/27/11: Post Before Jason’s Results Come Back
07/29/11: Results Come Back from Jason’s Surgery — Procedure Not Successful
08/21/11: Officially Moving Forward With Embryo Adoption — For REAL THIS TIME
8/27/11: Our Embryo Adoption Book Made for Donor Couple
8/31/11: First Possible EA Match
9/19/11: Our Book is Sent to Our Donor Match Couple
9/30/11: Donor Couple Chooses Us
10/19/11: Signed Around Contract—Adoption is Official
12/25/11: Snowflake Christmas Tree
2/6/12: Kate Blogs About the Emotions of Adoption
2/26/12: Begin Taking Birth Control Pills (Read Entire Protocol Here)
3/8/12: An Encouragement from God
3/12/12: Begin Lupron Injections Nightly (10 Units-Continue Shots Until 4/9/12)
3/15/12: Kate Writes New Letter to Babies
3/21/12: Suppression Check Ultrasound
3/22/12: Decrease Lupron to 5 Units & Begin Vivelle Estrogen Patches
3/25/12: Our Pastor Prays Over Us and Our Babies
3/27/12: God Tells Us to “Ask”
3/29/12: Estrogen Blood Test
4/5/12: Estrogen Blood Test and Ultrasound Begin Supplementing with Estrace
4/6/12: Accupuncture
4/10/12: Begin Progesterone and Antibiotic
4/11/12: Receive Call with Transfer Time and Instructions
4/13/12: TRANSFER 2 of our 5 EMBRYOS!!!!!!!!!!
4/24/12: Blood Pregnancy Test Negative
6/19/12: Grief
7/6/12: Make Decision to Move Forward w/ 2nd Cycle (Start Birth Control)
8/23/12: Second Transfer
8/31/12: Positive Home Pregnancy Test—THE DOUBLE LINE!
9/3/12: Positive Blood Test-Beta 136
9/5/12: Beta 316
9/12/12: Beta 5,010!!! (Twins?)
9/17/12: Heavy bleeding/passing clots, feared miscarriage
9/18/12: 1st Ultrasound at 6w1d, Baby A Heartbeat! 118bpm, Losing Baby B
9/25/12: 2nd Ultrasound at 7w1d, Baby A Heartbeat 146bpm, Nothing for Baby B
10/4/12: 3rd Ultrasound at 8w3d, Heartbeat 173bpm!
10/8/12: Baby and Belly Growth Weeks 6 to 9
10/11/12: 1st OB Appointment at 9w3d
10/25/12: Heard heartbeat for the first time (166bpm) at 11w3d
11/1/12: 4th Ultrasound at 12w3d
11/12/12: Start 2nd Trimester!
11/19/12: OB Appt, Heard heartbeat for the second time (140bpm) at 15w
11/21/12: First strong movement from baby at 15w2d
12/13/12: Dad felt baby for the first time
12/12/12: Pick up and set up baby’s crib!
12/16/12: First mother/baby “moment”
12/20/12: OB Appt, Heard heartbeat for the third time (136-150bpm) at 19w3d
12/26/12: Anatomy scan ultrasound at 20w2d
12/28/12: GENDER REVEAL PARTY! WE ARE HAVING A BOY!!!
1/4/13: The nursery is complete
1/18/13: Water Prematurely Ruptures at 23w4d
snowflake baby
n. a child grown and born from a frozen embryo.Subjects: English, Medical
Helpful Info About Meds
EA Agencies/Websites
Embryo Adoption Services of Cedar Park (Our organization)
List of Embryo Adoption Agencies
Nightlight Christian Adoptions
National Embryo Donation Center
Embryo Adoption Awareness Center
State Laws for Embryo Adoption
Embryo Adoption Blogs
A Greater Yes (The First Place I Heard About Embryo Adoption!)
At Luce Ends (Friends of Ours with a Baby Girl)
Aaron and Jenn Wilson (Blog Friends of Ours with Twins)
Update on this timeline???
I just did some more reading Kate, and read your timeline. And my heart breaks for you.. I’m so sorry the transfer didn’t work. I will be praying for you and Jason in this very very hard grief.
I should have read all this before I did my other posts. I’m really sorry if any of it is insensitive! What a time for you to be reading my opinions and my story!! I hope it’s not upsetting even more for you.
I read some of your bible devotions blogs and they are wonderful. I look forward to reading them more. Was really encouraged/challenged by your prayer book. I need/want to pray more!!
Thank you for giving me so much to think and pray about. Thank you for reminding me to be sensitive to where people are at, and their stories. So important to be loving, and for me it’s so easy to forget that and to just be passionate.
Praying for you and Jason.
Sarah,
I’ve rather enjoyed your comments and appreciate this most recent one. Please do not feel like you offended me. I created this blog in a public arena so that public conversations and discussions and even debates could be had. I am thankful for something friends of ours said early on in the process…there are many different options for infertile couples, and God, in His infinite wisdom, does not call us all to the same solution. I’m thankful that some of my infertile (and non) friends feel called to international, domestic, and foster adoption. I’m thankful that some are seeking ways to honor Jesus through IVF and embryo adoption. I’m thankful for infertility because it has pushed me closer to Jesus in a way that I don’t know I would have ever been blessed to have. I love when we all have discussions and can educate one another and learn what we’ve learned along the way. I do think you have valuable information to add and I’m thankful you found our blog for that very reason! I wanted to ask for your permission to share your email with someone close to me who is pursuing IVF in the event that she had some questions about the process. Would that be okay? I can see it here on my dashboard for the comment, so please don’t worry about posting it publicly.