I have been really bad about updating this blog and some people have been asking about where we are in this journey so I figured I should fill everyone in on this crazy roller coaster we're on! Back in February/March, I told you about our plans to pursue embryo adoption. We held an online "silent auction" and thanks to some amazing, generous, SAINTS ON EARTH, we were able to raise enough to move forward! The first step was contacting the National Embryo Donation Center in Knoxville to register and soon after, we received a packet full of paperwork to complete. We were also told we needed to set up a home study because legally, this is considered a "transfer of property" and the state of Georgia has different laws than other states so we have lots of hoops to jump through. I reached out to a fabulous case worker and she referred me to the website where I could download what felt like thousands of forms to complete. I'm telling you, they have to know EVERYTHING about you. You have to get local and federal criminal background checks, including being fingerprinted, pull 911 records of the last 5 addresses you've lived at, get cleared by the local parolee and sex offender websites, get blood tests for everything under the sun, including TB skin testing, get a physical (as well as get your husband that hates going to any doctor to actually go), compile financial docs, employment and salary verification, get reference letters from friends and family, complete gun safety and pool safety forms, complete online adoption education courses, send copies of our marriage license, home lease agreement, drivers license, proof of car and medical insurance, rabies vaccination reports for the dogs, make a copy of our sewage and water bills, send pics of household members and pictures of the house, an address list of residences for the last ten years and complete the most detailed autobiography I've ever seen in my life. Seriously, it asks you EVERYTHING. I'm listing this all out because I want people to know why the adoption process takes so long....it's not just because you have to wait for a baby or embryo, it's due to all this crazy paperwork, getting doctor approval, legalities, etc. It's NOT for the faint of heart or non committal. This is no joke. We got most of it all done and sent to the case worker and last week, she came to our house to meet Dan and me. It was very easy and natural and she really just wanted to see our house and find out what we've been through thus far in our quest to become parents. We left on a great note with promise to complete the final steps of paperwork we need for our files. This enabled us to be able to set up our first doctor's appointment with the Reproductive Endocrinologist on September 14th! At this appointment, they will introduce us to the clinic, the process and finally do an exam on me to make sure everything with my uterus and health in general is on point. According to the women in my Facebook support groups, once this appointment is over and has presumably gone well, you can start reviewing family profiles and select your embryos. I'm not sure how many we will be able to choose from....and there's a lot of medical "grading" and jargon I won't bore you with on how we go about choosing. But I trust the doctors will lead us through the right path and I'm confident we will end up with what we're meant to have. If all this goes well, we're thinking the procedure will take place in November. That's if all the stars align with all this paperwork and medical clearance that needs to go through.
So, that's it - in a really poorly long written nutshell. I have to be transparent with all this because it's a relatively new technology and I really think it's important to get the word out to families that have lost hope or maybe didn't know this was an option. Dan and I have been through so much, and we are so grateful for all the medical advances we've witnessed throughout this journey. A long time ago, the doctor said that we would be parents someday and the baby that was meant for us, would find a way to us. Please pray that this is the answer for us and that we will finally get our miracle. It certainly has been a rough road and we are so ready for some GOOD news! I'll keep you posted on our progress.
Love and blessings, Carrie
Z Baby Quest: A couple's journey through infertility into adoption
Monday, August 3, 2015
Update #14897468934765
I have been really bad about updating this blog and some people have been asking about where we are in this journey so I figured I should fill everyone in on this crazy roller coaster we're on! Back in February/March, I told you about our plans to pursue embryo adoption. We held an online "silent auction" and thanks to some amazing, generous, SAINTS ON EARTH, we were able to raise enough to move forward! The first step was contacting the National Embryo Donation Center in Knoxville to register and soon after, we received a packet full of paperwork to complete. We were also told we needed to set up a home study because legally, this is considered a "transfer of property" and the state of Georgia has different laws than other states so we have lots of hoops to jump through. I reached out to a fabulous case worker and she referred me to the website where I could download what felt like thousands of forms to complete. I'm telling you, they have to know EVERYTHING about you. You have to get local and federal criminal background checks, including being fingerprinted, pull 911 records of the last 5 addresses you've lived at, get cleared by the local parolee and sex offender websites, get blood tests for everything under the sun, including TB skin testing, get a physical (as well as get your husband that hates going to any doctor to actually go), compile financial docs, employment and salary verification, get reference letters from friends and family, complete gun safety and pool safety forms, complete online adoption education courses, send copies of our marriage license, home lease agreement, drivers license, proof of car and medical insurance, rabies vaccination reports for the dogs, make a copy of our sewage and water bills, send pics of household members and pictures of the house, an address list of residences for the last ten years and complete the most detailed autobiography I've ever seen in my life. Seriously, it asks you EVERYTHING. I'm listing this all out because I want people to know why the adoption process takes so long....it's not just because you have to wait for a baby or embryo, it's due to all this crazy paperwork, getting doctor approval, legalities, etc. It's NOT for the faint of heart or non committal. This is no joke. We got most of it all done and sent to the case worker and last week, she came to our house to meet Dan and me. It was very easy and natural and she really just wanted to see our house and find out what we've been through thus far in our quest to become parents. We left on a great note with promise to complete the final steps of paperwork we need for our files. This enabled us to be able to set up our first doctor's appointment with the Reproductive Endocrinologist on September 14th! At this appointment, they will introduce us to the clinic, the process and finally do an exam on me to make sure everything with my uterus and health in general is on point. According to the women in my Facebook support groups, once this appointment is over and has presumably gone well, you can start reviewing family profiles and select your embryos. I'm not sure how many we will be able to choose from....and there's a lot of medical "grading" and jargon I won't bore you with on how we go about choosing. But I trust the doctors will lead us through the right path and I'm confident we will end up with what we're meant to have. If all this goes well, we're thinking the procedure will take place in November. That's if all the stars align with all this paperwork and medical clearance that needs to go through.
So, that's it - in a really poorly long written nutshell. I have to be transparent with all this because it's a relatively new technology and I really think it's important to get the word out to families that have lost hope or maybe didn't know this was an option. Dan and I have been through so much, and we are so grateful for all the medical advances we've witnessed throughout this journey. A long time ago, the doctor said that we would be parents someday and the baby that was meant for us, would find a way to us. Please pray that this is the answer for us and that we will finally get our miracle. It certainly has been a rough road and we are so ready for some GOOD news! I'll keep you posted on our progress.
Love and blessings, Carrie
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