Things are moving right along with our Embryo Adoption process. I haven’t had anytime for updates lately because we have been busy, busy, busy! I’m very thankful for the busy though, because this means we are moving closer to our goal.
Last week, Clayton and I traveled to the National Embryo Donation Center in Knoxville, TN for our first appointment. After our 10-hour drive, we arrived late Wednesday night in time for our Thursday morning appointment. We were very excited to meet the doctors and team members, and for everything to feel more real. From the time we walked into the office, until the time we left we are treated warmly and kindly. They even offered me a cup of coffee when we got there, which I greatly appreciated since I had to throw away my undrinkable hotel coffee.
First, we met with Dr. Gordan. He went over the medical side of things and then quickly got to my physical exam. Part of which is an ultrasound, I was sure glad that was early on in the appointment because I was told to arrive with a full bladder (that might have been the hardest part of the appointment!). Dr. Gordan preformed a few exams to make sure everything was good to go on my end. Thankfully, everything checked out perfectly and I was cleared physically, and allowed to use the restroom!
After that, Clayton and I sat in a room while different team members came in and explained the various aspects of our Embryo Adoption. We learned more about the matching process (we will get to begin viewing matches once our home study is complete). We also learned about the stages of embryos and lots of other scientific information. I was sure glad to have Clayton there to help me understand it all, he’s better with scientific terms than I am.
I had been praying two specific prayers for our appointment:
#1- medical clearance
#2- we would feel seen, cared for, and welcomed
Both of these prayers were definitely answered. I loved learning more about the heart behind the NEDC. Each person there truly cares about helping families and desire every embryo to find a loving home. Their work is their mission and it shows.
Another huge blessing was being told that if we can get our home study done in a timely manner, we will be on schedule to head back to TN in July for our actual transfer!! This was my hope all along 😊 -I will write a separate post about our home study soon.
Additionally, we were given a $500 scholarship through a grant offered by the NEDC. It was definitely a nice surprise! Every little bit helps toward our costs and fees.
When we stop and think about it, we continue to see God’s hand all over this process.
I’ll be honest, I get overwhelmed at times. There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes. I’m pretty good at putting on a tough face and pushing towards the goal most days. But like anyone facing challenges, I have my moments of breaking down and feeling like I can’t do it. Thankfully, in those moments I have friends and family who remind me that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. He is literally moving mountains to bring us together with our sweet baby. He knows which embryos we will choose and exactly what our family will look like moving forward. He goes before us, and behind us, and beside us, all around us. He is working and we can feel it. It’s pretty amazing that He chose us for this journey. His special, perfect plan, just for us.
‘The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf…Deuteronomy 1:30
You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Psalm 139:5
We also got to have some fun along the way! We spent a night in Nashville and got to visit some of my dearest, oldest friends. Here are a few highlights from our trip.
Frozen to Chosen 