Happy 1st Birthday Embryos!

The day of our egg retrieval- August 17th, 2009 (this was a cute couple we saw there, thankfully they weren't there for IVF)!

I was so wrapped up in all the changes of Addi sleeping in her own room yesterday that I forgot about what the day was.That is, until I heard the date: August 17th. How could I forget? I looked back on what we had to say about it and couldn't help but get emotional. I said:

Now all we can do it wait and pray. Wait for tomorrow and then Thursday. Pray for patience, pray for our babies to grow and survive these next 45 hours. More then ever, we ask you all to pray for us and the babies. Hopefully we will have good news to share tomorrow and again on Thursday.

We had no idea what was taking place, God was forming Addi- cell by cell to bring her here! I remember how disappointed we were that the retrieval and fertilization didn't go as planned. We were concerned about how the embryos would grow and if they would survive. Soon after we got the good news that 4 embryos had grown well, we'd be using two for the transfer and two would be frozen. It makes me think of my little ones that are still frozen (not just because recently we got the bill- the first year is free). Will they make it out of the thaw? When will I get pregnant again? Will we need to do more fresh cycles? The future is a bit uncertain. Although I have been having dreams I am pregnant with twins a little too frequently lately.

Day of our embryo transfer August 20th, 2009 (2 embryos)!

Yes, it is strange to think we have frozen embryos out there. I believe that life begins at conception but I don't feel sad because the other embryo we transferred didn't implant. I don't see it as a death or a miscarriage, I was never pregnant with that embryo or the frozen ones (yet). This doesn't make us any less conscious about how we use them. They have infinite potential and are entrusted into our care. I know this must be difficult to understand for people who have not had "snowflake babies" but we wouldn't trade it for the world.

All of this just reminds me how blessed we are to be a family and have our Addi Grace...