“O Lord, open my lips, That my mouth may declare Your praise.” (Psalm 51:15)
Jake Allen and Luke Andrew Williams are here and healthy as of March 2, 2017 at 10:02 and 10:04 a.m. … that my mouth may declare His praise.
Instead of being trashed or donated to scientific research, Jake and Luke’s genetic mother and father, who felt their family was complete after giving birth to three children brought forth through IVF, rightly acknowledged their remaining embryos as growing, developing human beings in their earliest form, and therefore deemed them worthy of life. They saved their lives by deciding to give them to another family, paying cryopreservation storage fees for eight years until the right one came along. They decided that we were the right family … that my mouth may declare His praise.
If I were to have written a plan for my life, it would not have included my husband and myself carrying a devastating and oftentimes deadly genetic disorder and passing it along to our first child. My plan would have been much less creative—get pregnant on our own with two or three healthy bio kids and call it a day. But God had a bigger, more beautiful plan for my life, for my husband’s life, and for the lives of two sweet babies who were waiting patiently from a freezer in Bedford to continue on—a plan that could have been written for the big screen. Through our pastor, God brought us donors who would not only gift us with seven little frozen lives to love, but who would also dance when we danced and mourn when we mourned; a donor couple who would join hands with us in a bowling alley parking lot five days after our fifth FET and beg God to sustain the two lives within me after we’d already lost five. God said “yes” to their parking lot plea and has given me quite an amazing story to tell … that my mouth may declare His praise.
“The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” Job 33:4
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Looking for children’s books about embryo donation/adoption? Check out my three on Amazon! (Made with Love and Treasure Babies work for both donor and recipient families)
Frozen love 
Oh Whitney! You may not remember me but I’m the photographer who was privileged to be in the delivery room the day God enlarged your family. I saw where a mutual friend of ours had commented on your fb post and I knew immediately that I knew that baby’s face! I just want to say what a honor it was serving you and your husband on March 2 and to know “the rest of the story” is simply amazing. Forever will your family be in my prayers!
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Yes! I remember you and I have you to thank for these breathtaking photos!!!! Thank you so much for what you captured. It was a beautiful moment for us. Thank you so much for reaching out and for the sweet words toward us and our boys! Thank you for your prayers!
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Wondering how things are going? This is Becky C in ND(Samaritans Ministries) I have been praying for you and the babies for several months.
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Hi Becky, thanks for writing. They are doing well! Keeping me up at night a little more often than I’d prefer, but they are healthy and a blessing!
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Hello! My husband and I are in the midst of embryo adoption; we have an FET next month. I have been in the valley and desperately needed encouragement and to hear God’s voice. I found your blog during a google search and cried over all of your posts. Thank you for faithfully sharing and blessing me with the Lord’s reminders and promises I needed to hear today. Much love!
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LAO, I’m so happy to hear that God has used my writing to bless you in the valley. My boys are five now and I’ve wondered at times if I should keep the blog up or if it’s making any difference. I feel so encouraged that God is still active through it. Lord, please sustain this little life within LAO’s body. Protect this baby and let this transfer the start of a new, beautiful, joyous chapter for her and her husband. Amen!
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