{iPhone Rewind} :: November

Sasha just has to live forever. It's the only way.

Good morning, Aiden!

"Aiden doesn't like it." Well, buddy, we don't put mystery berries in our mouths. Confirmation my kiddos are not ready for hiking.

A little paper football action

That is one of Sasha's pills. I definitely only found 1/2 of it at first, and Aiden was making yucky faces while Maddie kept saying, "that's not yours, Aiden. That's Sasha's!" Thankfully he just put it in his mouth, bit it in half, then spit it out, so I didn't have to call poison control. This time...

Because why wear 1 hat when you can wear 4?

Planning his trip to Philadelphia :)

Building with Picasso Tiles!

We had lunch with Daddy up at the church, and then got to play a little basketball to get out some energy.

"Look, Mama. I read like Mama."

Delivering flowers to a sweet couple who made us a Thanksgiving dinner :)

On Mondays, we watch the leaf blowers from our window.

We have been doing some Cosmic Kids! Yoga Adventures {Amazon Prime}, and Maddie has really enjoyed it!

Mrs. Debbie sent us the supplies for a scarecrow craft, and we definitely have a broad range of art personalities :)

We're back to reading books on my phone. Since we don't have an address and utility bills yet, we have to wait until January to get a library card here. Thankful we don't have to give up reading {free} books!

Me: "Maddie, why is the toothpaste in the potty?" Maddie: Because it went into the potty." 

Me: "It didn't go in by itself, Maddie. Why is it in the potty?" Maddie: "But I wasn't eating it!"

True....???

Eli is assessing the fire haha

Everyone has to hold a hand in the parking lot. So Aiden grabbed Eli's hand :)

Christmas Bucket List

It has been awhile since we did a fun bucket list! Christmas will look different for us this year: it will be our first one in Virginia {away from family}, we are staying in an extended stay hotel {minimal space}, we're still in the middle of a pandemic {most things are closed/cancelled}, and all of our stuff is packed away in PODS {no Christmas decorations}. So I wanted to do as much as feasibly possible to make it a fun Christmas season with the kiddos! 

Don't be impressed with our list...I chose the simplest things that we could do (1) for super cheap or free, (2) with the least amount of mess {because sanity}, and (3) in limited space {we don't exactly have a place to spread out and do our normal craft project routines}. There are a few more things that we might be able to add; we'll just have to see how things go...

Here's to a fun Christmas season, despite the challenges and a tired mama :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from our silly little turkeys! :)

2020 has been a year to remember. Despite all of the chaos and craziness and change, we have so much for which to be thankful. God is good. God is faithful. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever." // Psalm 136:1

Embryo Adoption Awareness Day

November 25th is Embryo Adoption Awareness Day! :)

Today is a day we can raise awareness and share our story of Embryo Adoption, the beautiful way the Lord chose to grow our family. We have been amazed at how the Lord has used our specific story to educate and encourage others, and it has been such a privilege to pray alongside other couples who have chosen to pursue Embryo Adoption. 

I am starting to do some research on the donor conceived perspective, as many of these children are becoming adults, processing their stories. Since our journey to building our family has come to an end, we are now in the thick of raising donor conceived children. An as the kiddos grow and start piecing together their story, I have been praying for the right words to describe their story and answer their questions. I came across an article from the Embryo Adoption Awareness Center, listing 12 questions that embryo adoptees want answered. Since we have 3 adoptees, I thought I would {sort of**} answer those questions today! :)

**I won't be answering all of these questions directly, as many of them are personal. But I will try to provide answers about the information we have, and why this information might be helpful to an adoptee**

1. What are my genetic parents' first and middle names?

We do have first names for their donor parents, J&J. We also have photos. Since donor eggs were used in the IVF cycle, the donor parents include genetic dad and his wife. Genetic mom is the egg donor. {See also #4}.

2. Do I have any genetic siblings?

Yes! Eli, Maddie, and Aiden are all full genetic siblings, but they also have a full genetic brother {age 9} and sister {age 6}.

3. What are the first names of my genetic siblings?

We do have first names for their genetic siblings, A&E. We also have photos from 5 years ago.

4. Were donor eggs or sperm used in my conception?

The donor parents used an egg donor in their IVF cycle. It was an anonymous donation, so we do not have a name or photo of the genetic mom, but we do have medical information and a personal questionnaire that she filled out about herself. 

5. Why did you choose my genetic parents?

We prayed over each of the matches that came to us, and we said yes to J&J because we felt like the Lord wanted us to match with them! They said that their decision to donate their embryos through the Snowflakes program was one of the easiest decisions they had made as a couple. Because of the hardship they faced in building their family, they wanted to help another couple facing the same challenges. When we saw their profile, we knew we had the right match!

6. How long was I frozen?

You were all frozen on March 30, 2009. Eli and Maddie were thawed/transferred on February 26, 2016, so they were frozen for just shy of 7 years. Aiden was thawed/transferred on December 12, 2017, so he was frozen for 8 years, 8 months.

7. Does anyone else in my genetic family know about me?

I actually don't know the answer to this question. We have a semi-open relationship with the genetic family, which means that we agreed to email contact only, through our agency. So we do not interact directly with the genetic family. My hope and prayer is that the genetic parents share the yearly updates/photos of our kiddos with their kids, and that one day we can open up more contact.

8. Will I ever get to meet my genetic family?

We really hope so! As mentioned in #7, we have limited contact with the genetic family right now. But at the time we signed contracts, they were open to possibly having more contact in the future, depending on the needs and desires of the kids. So we have been and will continue to pray that there is an opportunity for meeting them in the future. At the very least, they should be able to meet when they are adults, as they have enough information to find each other.

9. Where does my genetic family live?

They actually live in Virginia {!}. We don't know anything beyond that, and assume they still live in the state and haven't moved, but we do not have that information. 

10. What traits did I inherit from my genetic parents?

Genetic mom has auburn hair, so Aiden gets that from her. His {and Eli's} blue eyes come from genetic dad. Maddie's hazel eyes come from genetic mom, and the blonde/light brown hair come from genetic dad. We'll have to see how height/build come into play :)

11. Are there any inherited medical concerns I should know about?

We have medical history for both genetic mom and dad, even though genetic mom was anonymous {which is so very important!}. So we had a good picture of any possible health concerns when we adopted the embryos. And since we have contact through our agency, we are confident that we could obtain additional information if any specific medical concerns arose.

12. What should I call my genetic parents?

We would want to have an open discussion with our kiddos about this, but right now we refer to them as genetic mom and dad, or just simply their donor family. If the time ever came for them to meet, we would encourage them to call them by their first names. 

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We knew that we wanted to have an open adoption so that we would be able to answer questions like these. There are still several unknowns, and we will have to navigate questions as they come. But we are grateful that we have access to information so that we can share as much with our kids as they want to know.

If YOU have questions regarding Embryo Adoption, the Embryo Adoption Awareness Center is an excellent resource. You can also learn more about our specific journey, here on the blog. We will forever be grateful for this amazing way to build a family, and we love sharing our story!

Crohn's Chronicles :: More Tests

The last few weeks have been a crazy whirlwind with my health too. Lots of last minute tests, trying to take advantage of having already met my insurance deductible, and trying to find some answers before I left Texas. I really wish I could say that I was feeling 100% better, but I am still fighting to feel well and have felt pretty frustrated with how slow things are progressing. But there has been some progress. Just slow.

My overall/usual Crohn's symptoms are improving. I usually have pain in my lower abdomen, along with intestinal issues. The pain is pretty much gone, and the intestinal issues are not happening daily anymore. But during my last week on steroids, I started experiencing a constant stomachache. That was about 10 weeks ago, and it hasn't gone away. It doesn't matter what I eat, if I eat, or how much I eat, that stomachache is just constantly there. When I mentioned the pain to my mom, she reminded me that all of the women in my family {grandmother, mom, 3 aunts} have had their gallbladders removed. So I mentioned it to my doctor, and he thought I had the right risk factors, so he ordered a CT scan. That came back without any definitive results, so I also had an abdominal MRI. 

Thankfully, it's not my gallbladder, and the two scans ruled out all the bad, scary things {i.e., lymphoma}. The MRI did show that my liver is slightly enlarged and that I have a few cysts. So I will have to monitor my liver enzymes and repeat an MRI in a year. Both Humira and Entyvio can cause liver issues, so it's not surprising that it showed up on the scans. Most likely it will resolve itself, as I remember having elevated liver enzymes when I first started Humira. The reassuring thing is that while the scans showed some abnormalities on my liver, my recent bloodwork showed normal levels on my liver enzymes. So my doctor is not too concerned about that right now.

But the liver stuff doesn't explain my constant stomachache. I officially stumped my doctor, so we went for the trifecta of tests, and I had an upper endoscopy. That procedure came back clear as well; it did show inflammation in my stomach, but no clear cause. So my doctor concluded that my stomach aches are being caused by stress.

I certainly have had my fair share of stress this past year. But personally, I think that it's Crohn's causing the inflammation, that is just made worse by the stress. Crohn's can cause inflammation all over the body {in your joints, even in your eyes!}, so it's not surprising that I have inflammation in my stomach. So it seems like my stress is making my physical symptoms from Crohn's worse, not causing them. I know I am not a doctor, but I do know my body and it makes the most sense to me regarding how I have felt the pain in my stomach.

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I had one more Entyvio infusion before we left Texas. And today I had my first Telehealth appointment with my new doctor in Virginia. I liked him; he was thorough and knowledgeable, so I am thankful that I felt comfortable with him from the first appointment. He's ordering some more blood work {a lot of it a repeat, but necessary to set up my infusions here}, and will wait to receive all my records and test results from my old doctor. Then we'll go from there, getting everything set up and moving forward with care.

I'm hopeful that another few months will bring more improvement. I'm just praying for the strength and endurance to make it that long. I'm pretty tired, and very ready to feel better :)

Exploring Virginia with Grandma and Papa

We were so grateful to have my parents with us on the trek from Texas to Virginia. It was nice to have the extra hands to help, and Grandma and Papa are always a fun distraction for the kiddos. Since the week of travel/moving was long and busy, we made some time to have a little fun with them before they headed back to Texas.

We made the drive out to the Bluemont General Store, taking the scenic drive down the Snickersville Turnpike. It was fun to see the beautiful and historic countryside. There are several historical sites, multiple colonial/victorian homes, and a stone wall that lines the road, which dates back to the Civil War. Our kids are too young to appreciate the historical significance; they were just looking forward to some ice cream :)

We also visited the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center {Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum} in Chantilly. We got some advice on the best time to go, and it was perfect. There was hardly anyone there, and everything was set up for social distancing and COVID safety. It was such a treat to actually be out in public, without actually having to encounter the public. And it gave the kids an opportunity to explore without having to wait to see anything.

Eli was in heaven! He love seeing all of the different kinds of planes, helicopters, missiles, satellites, etc. He wanted to know what everything was called. Aiden was pretty excited too; he kept repeating, "look at this! look at this!" Maddie was less than impressed with seeing plane after plane, but she was a trooper anyway. She certainly didn't mind getting a toy space shuttle from the gift shop as a prize to take home :)

Such fun memories with Grandma and Papa. Until their next visit!

Eli & Maddie :: Headed 4 Adventure

Eli and Maddie's birthday looked a little different this year. We were in the midst of moving, and we were literally on the road to Virginia on their actual birthday. So we merged their love for Mickey and Minnie with our road trip adventure :)

We took a break from our road trip travels, and we stayed at the Wandering Goat Lodge in Blacksburg. So we were able to rest after two long days of travel, but we were also able to celebrate Eli and Maddie's birthday! This was not my most Pinterest-y birthday haha, but they didn't seem to mind at all. They were happy to go on walks exploring the property, watch the deer, and yes... feed the goats :)

Maddie dove right in, ready to feed the goats! Turns out, we have a little animal lover on our hands :)  Eli and Aiden were a little more hesitant, but eventually warmed up to the goats. Aiden fed them once and that was all he needed. He was not at all interested after that. Eli fed them a few more times, but he was way more interested in the GIGANTIC leaves that he could find and pick up.

Future vet??

Greedy little goat

Not that impressed with the goat haha

I did pack a few birthday decorations, and they kept asking when their party would start haha. We just went over the top with Mickey and Minnie, and they loved it. Aunt Lindsay even made them cookies that we surprised them with on their actual birthday! {Note to self: Mommy needs to pick themes with less black icing haha}

And of course, no birthday celebration would be complete without presents and birthday songs. Mommy and Daddy stayed on theme with all things Mickey and Minnie {games, coloring books, shirts, etc.}. Grandma and Papa provided the fun stuff: books, Mickey and Minnie clothes, Picasso Tiles.

"Happy Birthday" from our cousins!

While we didn't get to have a traditional party, I think Eli and Maddie's birthday turned out pretty well. I think Mickey, Minnie, and goats were the perfect way to celebrate a fourth birthday that landed right in the middle of our family's cross-country move. It's definitely one for the memory books :)