My husband Steven and I had always talked about adoption, even before we knew that we would have fertility challenges. After failing IUI and IVF, the reality of adoption really sunk in, and God moved our hearts in that direction. Thanks to an orphan care ministry at our church, we were introduced to the Snowflakes program and decided to pursue embryo adoption.
We were matched with a family in California who had used an egg donor to conceive their 12 embryos, and had boy/girl twins (born in 1998). The remaining 7 embryos had been frozen for 18 years at the point that we adopted them into our family. From those embryos, our family was blessed with Tyler (born in 2017) and Jayden (born in 2021- from a 23 year old embryo!). We also had a surprise natural conception in between embryo transfers (Hannah, born in 2019). You would never guess that two of our children are adopted- I carried all three pregnancies, and they certainly all act like siblings!
When we pursued the Snowflakes program, we knew we wanted an open adoption, and now our relationship with our placing family has truly been a blessing from God. From the beginning of our journey, Brianna (Tyler and Jayden’s full genetic sister, who is in her 20’s) has been passionate about establishing a relationship with her brothers. Her brother and parents have also welcomed us as family. Brianna came to visit and meet us in person just a few weeks after the birth of Tyler, and again after Hannah’s birth, and then finally to meet Jayden. She has been an extended part of our family, and we are so grateful for that! It is so sweet to see her interact with her younger brothers and sister, and they all adore her. It is also a blessing to have biological family and the health history that this offers for our boys.
This past July, Brianna got married! She invited us all to her wedding, and even went beyond the invite to ask our children to be in her wedding. Tyler and Jayden were ring bearers, and Hannah was her flower girl. The fact that she included all of us was such an honor, and we were so grateful to be a part of her special day. Hannah was invited to get ready with the ladies before the wedding, and she felt like such a princess. Tyler pulled the wagon with Hannah and Jayden down the aisle, and he took his role very seriously. We also enjoyed getting to know the extended placing family, who all invited us in like we had always been a part of the family. God is truly painting a beautiful picture with this unique relationship we all share. We look forward to our families’ relationship to continue growing in the years to come!