How it all began....

Paul and I were married in July of 2005 and every day since then has been a complete joy! We moved to Central Florida and found an amazing church home at Family Bible Church (http://www.fambible.org/). There we met so many life-long friends. In August of 2007, we had our precious baby girl. Her name is McKenzie Renae. She was so beautiful when I saw her for the first time! After the delivery, we had a couple hours to talk and laugh with friends and family before something went terribly wrong. The next thing I knew I was being sent into emergency surgery. The doctor tried everything, but my uterus continued to bleed. So, after I was given 3 units of blood, her only option was to remove my uterus in order to save my life. Although I would have liked for things to turn out differently, I am so thankful that I am able to be with my family and friends. Of course, everyday wasn't all roses as I coped with the idea of not being able to have any more children. Paul and I had always thought we would have four children. After our McKenzie turned one I started to research other options for growing our family. It was solely a God-thing that caused all the pieces to fall into place.

One morning Kari called me up to ask if McKenzie and I wanted to go play at the park with her and Joselyn. It was there that Kari first expressed to me that she and Jon were interested in becoming a surrogate for Paul and me. I was blown away!! I let a few months go by and started to convince myself that it was a nice gesture, but she probably wasn't serious. Little did I know that she would be the "kick in the hind-quarters" that I needed to turn this dream of having more children into a reality! After those couple of emotionally low months, I was given the inspiration I needed to dive into the web of IVF. She assured me that this was something that God had placed into their hearts and they were the people for the job! Kari and Jon continue to amaze us with their eagerness to be a part of this adventure. As a matter of fact, one of the things Kari told me to get me out of my slump was, "We can do this together. This can be our little adventure!". So that is exactly what it has become! I can't wait to see what the future holds; and I hope it holds a new little baby...possibly two...Kari says three would be pushing it! hahaha

How I became "Kari the Carrier"

I remember exactly where I was standing when I was told that Andrea had a few complications post delivery and that her uterus had to be removed in order to save her life. The shock wave hit me like a ton of bricks. I was standing outside the church after a Wednesday night service when Jill broke the news to me. I immediately welled up and started crying, feeling broken-hearted for them. I couldn’t imagine the possibility of not having another child again. Over the next several months, every time I sat next to Andrea in church, a strong compassion would rise up inside of me. I felt like I wanted to help her in any way that I could, and that is when the surrogacy seed was planted in my heart. I never said a word about the idea to either her or my husband Jon, but the seed continued to grow week after week. I believe with all my heart that the supernatural compassion I felt in those moments was from God, preparing my heart for something special.

I decided to ask my husband about what he thought about me becoming a surrogate for Paul and Andrea; his response was an immediate “yes!!!” He was completely supportive and even encouraged me to speak to Andrea about it right away.

A few months later, I was at home with my daughter, Joselyn, and was thinking about going to the park. I called Andrea up and asked if she wanted to bring her daughter, McKenzie, to play with Jos. As the girls were playing, I asked Andrea how things were going and about their plans for future children. She began to tell me about a possible carrier she had in mind and a second person as another possibility sometime in the future, but nothing was definite. The next thing I know, I had said to Andrea, “Keep me in the back of your mind for a possible candidate to be your surrogate too.” I had not planned to turn that play date into a lifelong friendship, but that is what it has turned out to be. The moment I realized that my offer was a real possibility, my first feeling was kind of a “reality check.” However, soon after, and I believe it was by the grace and peace of God, I began to become more and more excited about the idea. I knew that I would never have offered if I wasn’t ready to follow through, so the decision was solidified in my heart. I left for the month of December to visit my family in Montana for Christmas, and during that time I was telling everyone my plans. I was already 6 months pregnant with my son, so I got some pretty funny looks as I talked about being pregnant again so soon. By the time I came back home, I had talked about being a surrogate carrier so much, it was already a done deal for Jon and me. The next time I saw Andrea, I asked when we were going to get this thing going; tears fell and the rest is history in the making.

I believe with my whole heart that this is a God-inspired bond between our families. I have an overwhelming sense of peace and knowing that this whole process will go quickly and smoothly, and I am looking forward to telling you all about our journey together. I am also more and more confident every day that God is a good God and he WILL provide for us. The hard parts are all done, now it is just a matter of walking through the steps and trusting Him…can’t wait to meet the new Miller(s)!

Sunday, January 10, 2010

The real deal!...post 17

So much has happened since my last post! This whole process is a funny one. It seems like nothing was happening and we were waiting so long, then all of the sudden everything is happening so quickly. I started my mock cycle in November and had a series of blood work and ultrasound appointments. The trial run didn’t include any needles, thank the Lord, but it did involve patches, lots of patches. It was hysterical! I started with putting 1 at a time on my butt and ended up with 4 at a time! And mind you, these patches are about the size of a post-it note. I tried not to put them in the same spots all the time, so it was pretty funny shifting and maneuvering to find new places to stick those things. After I was done with the patches, I was ready for my uterine biopsy. They took a “corkscrew” like piece out of my lining to check the thickness and make sure my body was responding correctly, and of course, it was. I expected no less. We went from rush rush all the time, having 2 appointments per week in Orlando, to waiting for results again. We were delayed due to the holidays, but it all worked out anyway because no matter how far I plan in advance for Christmas, it always seems to sneak up on me. December flew by quickly, even with the delay for our start date.
Here we are in January, and we have finally started the “real deal.” I was pretty freaked out about 3 weeks of Lupron stomach injections, but let me tell you, I am so glad to report that they are not bad at all! Jon gives me the shot every morning. I am his very own private pin cushion; I gotta make sure I’m extra nice to himJ. The only hurdle left in my mind are the soon to come intra-muscular injections *queue music from Jaws* I’ll make sure to keep you updated when I get to that phase.
Overall, I am so excited. I feel like a little kid at Christmas! This month, my son Kaden turned 8 months old, got his first tooth, and is trying to crawl. Jos is almost 3 and is such a sweetheart. I look at them and feel so much love for her and that little guy that words could not begin to describe it. When I think about this whole process, the difficulties and sacrifices, I always think to the future when Paul and Andrea will be looking into their new baby’s eyes and falling in love. It is all worth it, a million times over.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Time for shots....post 16

Well, I have to apologize for not giving any kind of updates over the past several weeks. We were so excited when we started taking birth control pills that when they told us there would be a little delay before starting the medications we got kind of bummed. Waiting is kind of like being told what your Christmas present will be, but you have to wait 2 months before you can open it!
When Kari had her biopsy done in November we were told that it may take up to 2 weeks before the results would be in due to the Thanksgiving holidays…little did we know that it would take nearly 6 weeks! It turned out not to matter that it took that long anyway. Cindy, our nurse, called to tell me that the clinic closes for 2 weeks during the Christmas holidays and also for a week at the end of January, so instead of having a January 1st retrieval week we are now looking at a February 1st retrieval week. Oh well…at least we had an awesome Christmas vacation! We are thankful that we got to travel and spend time with the family (my brother and sister-in-law even came in from Germany)!

When the nurse informed me of the delay, I asked her if she knew what kind of medications we would be using so that I could do some research on prices with the different fertility pharmacies. Let me tell you, it is sooo worth it to call around for the best price. I called 6 different pharmacies and all of them had very different prices for the same medications. On one medication alone I saved just over $300 because one company had it so much cheaper. Cindy told me that some pharmacies merge with different brands so they are able to offer better prices. Also, another awesome blessing was being informed of a program through Fertility Lifelines. We applied for their program and got approved for $3000 worth of FREE medication! Wahoo! Thank You Lord for favor!


Finally, we were told that Kari’s biopsy came back with an excellent report. She has great uterine lining (haha), so no problems there. Also, we received the psychological report for Jon and Kari…that report…not so good…just kidding! They passed with flying colors and there are no hold ups there either. Dr. Burnett got a chance to figure out what Paul and I have known for a while-they are the most awesome people you will ever meet!

One of the last requirements that the clinic has before we begin the medication is the legal contract. This could seem like a daunting task to complete without a patient and very knowledgeable lawyer. A few calls and emails back and forth with our lawyer to discuss questions and concerns produced a contract that met the needs of both couples. Since all four of us are so easy going and have the same beliefs about this whole process there was nothing that we didn’t agree upon. The contract has been completed and that makes us one more step closer to the final result!


Now, to catch you up on our latest appointments:

Kari and I talked several times over the Christmas holidays and we were like giddy school girls counting down the days until her first appointment back. Finally, January 5, 2010 came! We showed up for the scheduled ultrasound to check out her ovaries, once again. Of course, they said everything was perfect and doing exactly what it was supposed to be doing. Later, we were escorted into the meeting room with Cindy, the nurse, to discuss our calendar. This is the real deal! We have been waiting for this “calendar” for a long time! It will list out what day to take how much of each medication. It can be a bit overwhelming to throw it all out there, so Cindy decided to give us a little bit at a time. Right now, Kari has to take one injection of Lupron every morning and continue with her birth control for a few more days. I am supposed to start taking my daily shots of Lupron the following week along with a few more days of my birth control. Last time we did our mock cycle there were so many appointments and things to be doing that the time flew by! We know these next few weeks with our real cycle will be an absolute blur, and we are excited about that!

I have to put out there that we have an amazing support group of friends and family that have helped us out by watching our children while we go to all of these appointments. We couldn’t have gone through this process as easily without them all. Thank you guys soo much! You are such a blessing!

While we were meeting with the nurse she asked us if we had ever done the trial transfer. “Trial transfer?” Oops. Someone forgot about scheduling that for us and apparently we can’t move on until we complete that. During the trial transfer the doctor places a catheter the size of a spaghetti strand in the uterus to measure the depth of the uterus. They need to know exactly how large the uterus is so they know where to drop the embryos off during the real transfer. So, of course, we scheduled the procedure for the following day. It’s these kinds of “oops” and “by the ways” that make this process so much like an emotional rollercoaster.


On Wednesday, January 6, 2010, we showed up for what we thought was just the trial transfer, but ended up being the hysteroscopy too. The doctor used a fiber-optic endoscope to look at her uterine lining on a video monitor. They were looking for polyps. Guess what? All the doctor could say was that everything looked absolutely perfect over and over!


Well, now that you have been caught up with all of the happenings I should be able to post more regularly. Kari took her first shot of Lupron on Wednesday and said she was so glad to find out that she had been making a whole lot out of nothing. I was so glad to hear that it wasn’t that bad since she has to have at least 3 weeks of those particular shots. All I can say is that girl must really love me to endure all the poking and prodding that she has been and will continue to go through (not to mention the 9 months of the pregnancy)! I’m telling you, you won’t find another girl like her in the world! I love you, Kari!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

We started our REAL cycle - post 15

With all the studying that Kari did to prepare for her “test,” I think she may have passed…just kidding about the studying part. We got to Dr. Burnett’s office around 10am and all four of us talked and had a good time. I’m not sure if all visits with Dr. Burnett are as joyful as ours, but we can’t help it! We are having so much fun and can’t wait to see what the future holds. Later, Paul and I were dismissed so that Kari and Jon could have a minute to talk with her. After Jon had his brain picked he was then released so Kari could talk things over and take her 2 hour test. It probably sounds a lot worse than it actually is. Dr. Burnett is so nice and it just seems like natural conversation with her. While Kari finished up, Paul and I had our blood work and analysis done. We got a lot accomplished in one day.

On Friday the 13th of November, Kari had a biopsy of her uterine lining. While she was on these hormone patches and pills her uterus responded by thickening up and the doctors were able to measure that by ultrasound. The biopsy, however, will check to see if “her cake (lining) is properly baked” (as the doctor put it). She said it was a little uncomfortable, but it only took a few seconds. After the procedure, she was told that she could stop all of her hormones and that she should get another menstrual cycle shortly after. Cyndi, the nurse, told Kari to give her a call on her first day and on day three to start on her birth control pill. Do you know what that means? This is the official start of our real cycle! I started my first pill last night (Nov. 16) too, so now we just kind of wait for the stimulation start date! My doctor should call me soon with my treatment plan so that I can start researching pharmacies that have the best prices for the different medications (which is a pretty big portion of the fees). You know me…I have to find the best deal!


Like I said before, we plan to meet with Robert Terenzio, our reproductive lawyer, toward the end of the month. Other than that, it is just a waiting game. Thanks to all of you who have expressed interest and care for us during this process. It is so nice to know we have such a huge support group during all of this.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

The ball is really rolling now... - post 14

“I’m so excited….and I just can’t hide it…..I’m about to lose control and I think I like it….” Are you bobbing your head with me??!! We really are so excited that we can not hide it!! Plans for a new Miller baby or babies are moving right along. It feels like we couldn’t possibly experience more favor than what we already have (unless, of course, someone wanted to pay for all of our expenses in full…just putting that out there…) :)


Anyway, timing is everything in this entire process. In our case, because Kari just had her son about 6 months ago, the doctors wanted to see her body show that it was ready to house another little one…aka a menstrual cycle. We did not have a clue when this would be happening; I’m sure you ladies have never waited with a longing anticipation for such a thing as this…hahaha. At one of my monitoring appointments in Winter Park, I talked with a nurse about a hypothetical game plan for when this day may come. I decided to take Kari with me to the next appointment, if for no other reason, to become established as a patient. They tested her and found out that she was at the perfect time to start her mock cycle (a trial run with hormone patches to see how her uterus responds to the medication)! On Monday, October 26th, she started the mock cycle and only a week and a half later her uterus responded exactly like it was supposed to. It thickened up and got nice and “cushy” so it was ready to house an embryo. Great news - she is a perfect carrier! She responded so well that she was able to move on to the second phase of the mock cycle 4 days sooner than planned.



We have about 2 appointments every week now, but it doesn’t get annoying because we know what the ultimate result could be. Plus, it makes the time go by so much faster. We have a mental checklist of everything that has to be done and we have been able to cross out so many things already. On Wednesday, November 11th (Thank you to all of our military men and women, those currently serving, have served, and those that have given up their lives for us to experience life as we do today.) all four of us get to have a chat with our psychologist. We are looking forward to it because we will be made aware of where issues may potentially arise so we can deal with it before it ever gets here. By the way, this time it is Kari’s turn to take the personality profile test consisting of over 500 questions. We decided to make good use of this trip to Winter Park, so we not only get to chat with Dr. Burnett, but Paul and I will also be taking care of our FDA blood work and his initial “analysis.” WOW! It is getting down to the wire…so many things to finish, but as you can tell, it is all just falling into place.



I am also in contact with our lawyer, who is drawing up our contract now. We will probably meet with him at the end of the month to solidify things before we get started in December. Yes, you read right! If all keeps going as planned, we are looking at a potential start date of December 14th! Depending on the treatment plan that the doctors decide on, we could potentially be pregnant by the second or third week of January!!! I will definitely keep you updated on the process and if there are any changes, which in the world of IVF is not unheard of.



For a little side note, I just have to say that I could not have asked for a better couple to experience this entire process with. We are all so much alike in how we feel and what we believe that it has made this process a piece of cake. I love you, Jon and Kari! Thank you for wanting to go on this journey with us and making it an absolute pleasure!

Saturday, November 7, 2009

DID YOU NOTICE WE REACHED OUR GOAL FOR THE LAWYER????!!!!!

Another piece of the puzzle complete! - post 13

Well, all of the shots are done and over with…for now! Everything went absolutely perfect for the entire donation process. Most days I only had to get one shot, but there were two days that I had to get two. It was no big deal, especially since I wasn’t the one administering them. My husband gave most of them to me, but towards the end there were a couple of times that he wasn’t around, so my sister-in-law and my mother-in-law stepped in and saved the day. Thank goodness! My last monitoring appointment had to be done by the clinic down south. I got a call on Friday, the 23rd of October saying, “We need to have you here (Ft. Lauderdale) on Monday, the 26th. Depending on what we see you might have to stay through the week or you could go home the next day…” It wasn’t like that was a horrible request, but the unknown of it was crazy. So, as I frantically tried to make arrangements to go out of town I got another call a few hours later that said, “Change of plans. Do your monitoring at Dr. Trolice’s on Monday and you may come to us on Tuesday.” That’s exactly what we did! Like she said though, we went home the next day because the retrieval was postponed until Saturday, October 31st. There is something everyone must know about the entire field of IVF, and that is you have to be flexible!


I got a little nervous on the retrieval day when I had to put the hat and booties on and saw the anesthesiologist. I started to think, what if this procedure is worse than I had planned on it being? The procedure took about 30 minutes and within another 30 minutes I was awake and talking. There was no need for any major pain medication. I just took a few ibuprofens for some slight cramping that day and that was it! We are so excited for the opportunity we have provided for the recipient couple!

Monday, October 19, 2009

It has started!! - post 12


So, last night was the night! We carefully cleaned our working surface and Paul prepared all of the medication. It took almost 30 minutes before we even got it all ready! We were trying to make sure that we didn’t miss anything, and also we were trying to figure out what some of the things in our “goody bags” were! I was nervous, but Paul acted like he was excited. I think he likes the idea of sticking me with a needle a little too much...hahaha He mixed each vial and pulled it all up into one syringe so I only have to have one stick per day instead of three a day. I was alright at first, but when it came down to actually administering the shot I think Paul got a little nervous. So, in turn, I had a little bit of a “freak-out” moment. I got the shot in my stomach and just like everyone says, it really wasn’t that bad. We will be doing one shot every night for the next 7-11 days.

I have an appointment this Friday the 23rd at Dr. Trolices’ office in Winter Park. I will be doing my monitoring there, since it is closer to where we live. I will have to have blood drawn and another ultrasound to make sure my ovaries are responding to the medication the way they should. I will hopefully be able to talk with a nurse to make sure that Kari and I are on track to having our cycle in December too! I’m so excited (especially now that I know what to expect with the injections)!

Oh, the anticipation... - post 11

I know it has been a while since I have updated things, but I have learned that every detail of this process takes time. In our case, we didn’t even know everything that we were supposed to do until this week! It was kind of exciting when the nurse from the clinic actually scheduled our appointment to show us how to give our injections. However, that appointment got changed four different times…So, this past Monday (October 12, 2009), we finally made our second trip to Plantation, Florida.



I had to have another ultrasound to check on my ovaries. It was a little uncomfortable because the doctor said when the ovaries aren’t anchored to the uterus they tend to just be floating around. It took him a while to find them, but when he did he reassured us that everything was good to go! The nurse had to draw more blood to recheck for STDs and she sent us to a room to watch two videos on how to give the injections. Paul will be giving me the injections (I’m not really comfortable watching needles go through my skin), so he thought it was really comical when the video compared the injection technique to “playing darts.” He says he is pretty good at darts, so we should be pretty good (eeek)! After we watched the videos, we were escorted into another room where there was a table piled full of medication, syringes, and needles. It was a little overwhelming, but funny at the same time. I am so thankful that Paul is here to go through this with me. The nurse went over the calendar with us and the details of what I will be taking everyday. Originally, we were supposed to start on Friday (October 16, 2009), but I received a call from the nurse who asked us to push everything back two days. So, our official start date is Sunday, October 18, 2009! I only have to take the injections for 8-12 days and then we will be doing the retrieval. The latest the retrieval would be is the 30th of October!

WOW! I can’t believe this time is already here. I mean, I CAN, but I can’t….this means that we are that much closer to our own cycle! A great thing about this is the fact that my doctor from Winter Park, Dr. Trolice, will have an exact blueprint of how my body responds to the medication from this donation. That will give us one more thing to add to our already “perfect” scenario. Maybe Paul and I will get the best Christmas present ever if we find out we are pregnant by December!!!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Two-Way Blessings - post 10

So, I finally have some time to tell you about what has taken place over the last two weeks. I tried to sit down and write about it several times, but I couldn’t quite figure out how to preface what we have been experiencing. I know the entire process that we are involved in has many people thinking lots of different things. Some people love what we are doing and others have their reservations. The best thing I know to tell people that don’t necessarily agree with what we are doing is that all of this has happened with such ease that I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that God has His hand on all of this. Pastor Allen’s messages could not be more timely for us…We are not trying to figure out the “How” of our dreams before the “What,” so in turn it is coming together simply by God’s grace!



Several months ago I was doing some research on reproductive lawyers and came across an attorney who also has her own egg donor agency. We started talking about the details of what it would be like for me to become a donor myself. Paul and I (along with tons of close friends and family) discussed all sides of this option that had now been dropped at our door. I have to admit, at first, the thought of donating my eggs to an anonymous couple was a bit strange. And, yes, all of the questions and concerns that you are probably thinking of came to my mind as well. However, after a lot of thought, Paul and I both had a peace come over us. We came to the conclusion that we want to be a blessing to another family much like Kari and Jon have been for us. We know how badly it hurts to long for another child, and we could be the answer to another family who has probably spent countless hours crying because they too could not have a child.

With all that being said, we have been matched with a recipient couple! I received a call about 6 weeks ago that there was a couple interested in my “profile.” About 2 weeks later (August 12, 2009), Paul and I made our first trip to the fertility clinic in Plantation, Florida. I had a consultation with the doctor, an ultrasound to check out my ovaries, and some blood drawn. They haven’t gotten back all of my test results, but they went ahead and started me on birth control to coordinate my cycle with the recipient families’ surrogate. This is very similar to the cycle that Kari and I will be doing. Kari will have to take birth control with me so we cycle at the same time. Her body will be tricked into thinking it is about to get pregnant, so her uterine lining will be ready to accept our embryo. It truly is an amazing process from start to finish! I should find out if I am a definite candidate in about a week or two. By that time I will have learned how to give myself the daily hormone injections. I am not really excited about this part because needles aren’t my favorite thing in the world, but you “gotta do what you gotta do!”


So, like I said before, exciting things are happening! Kari and I plan to start preparing for our cycle in December or January. We can do our psychological screenings beforehand (to make sure we are all aware of what this process entails), but everything else that follows depends on when Kari’s body is ready to carry another baby (or two)!


I will keep you posted on the donor cycle as I find out more!

Monday, July 27, 2009

Taking steps to the final destination. - post 9

On Tuesday (7/21/09), we were able to attend an informational IVF meeting. It was sponsored by one of the two clinics that we have narrowed our choice down to. It was a good night because we were able to speak with the physician, embryologist, and a financial counselor.

The doctor was so passionate and caring. He and his wife have actually gone through IVF treatments to conceive children of their own, so he can relate to some of the feelings that most of his patients are having. He was telling us that he just adopted twins not too long ago, giving them five children under five! Above all, it was very evident that he has a heart for the Lord.

The embryologist was hilarious! You could tell he loved his job! Most of you that have talked with me or Kari know that we are joyful and excited about the things to come. So, having someone from the clinic that shares the same feelings makes it seem much more like an adventure instead of a horrible experience that we will have to endure.

The financial coordinator seemed very caring too. She knows lots of little tricks that will allow us to save money along the way. We all know that any penny we can pinch is good!

We are 90% sure we will be working with this clinic. So, as soon as we are certain I will let you all know which one it is.

In the meantime, we are still coming in contact with amazing people that want to do amazing things for us. As soon as we confirm the details I will post about them.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Musical Blessings from Caleb Miller! - post 8


Paul and I had the pleasure of housing Caleb and Rachelle Miller (no relation other than Jesus) during the 2008 Pastor's Conference at Family Bible Church. We are so thankful to have had the chance to get to know them. A few days ago Caleb contacted me with some unexpected and exciting news. He has agreed to post some of his music on our site for everyone to purchase with all the procedes going to our IVF! How great is this? Where else can you buy great music that will fulfill a dream? Thank you so much Caleb!

LOOK ON THE PANEL TO THE RIGHT TO FIND THE TUNES!

Monday, June 29, 2009

The donations are climbing! - post 7

As you can tell, the donations are coming in! We are so blown away at the amount of love and support we have experienced in these first couple of weeks. Just think, we are over 1/10 of the way to our first goal of $5,000 ($587)! Make sure to sign in as a "follower" so that you can be informed when we make updates on the blog. Thanks for being a part!

I have noticed that there are several people that are already familiar with IVF with a gestational carrier. I know sometimes this can be a sensitive subject, but if there are any suggestions or stories that you would like to share, please feel free to do so! You can email me at andrea_716miller@yahoo.com We are still learning as we go, so we love to hear other peoples' experiences!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Baby bottles are out and about... - post 6

Well, it has officially started-the baby bottles are circulating! I am completely overwhelmed by the amount of love and support we have already experienced from our friends and family...and this is just the start of it all! When we all met at Kari's house on Tuesday night (6/9/09) to put all of the baby bottles together I realized, once again, that we have the best friends in the world! Kari, ReAnna, Michelle and Lisa all helped to cut and prepare the bottles, Mark and Ben gave me a few pointers on computer stuff, while Jon, Paul, and Billy grilled some good eats! Linda Bennett (who also has an amazing story of her adopted baby boy, Trekker), thank you so much for donating the baby bottles you had. It really gave us a great start. I just want to say it feels so wonderful to be surrounded by people that have faith to move the mountains! It's nice to not feel like we are alone in all of this too....which after getting the word out about our blog...all of you reading this are just as much a part of this! Thanks for taking an interest in the miracles that God is doing in our lives! We will keep you all updated as funds roll in!

First batch of bottles...



Feel free to comment on anything you see on the blog. We would love to hear about information you might have or a great success story you know about. If you have questions, we can try to answer them the best we know how. I love to be asked off-the-wall things that I haven't thought about too...ReAnna is good at coming up with scenarios that haven't even crossed my mind! I hope you can share as much as we do!




I couldn't help it....just had to be silly!


Friday, June 5, 2009

What is IVF? - post 5

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process by which egg cells are fertilized by sperm outside the womb, in vitro. IVF is a major treatment in infertility when other methods of assisted reproductive technology have failed. The process involves hormonally controlling the ovulatory process, removing ova (eggs) from the woman's ovaries and letting sperm fertilize them in a fluid medium. The fertilized egg (zygote) is then transferred to the patient's uterus with the intent to establish a successful pregnancy. (Taken from Wikipedia)

In other words, Andrea will take hormones to stimulate her ovaries to produce more eggs in a particular time frame. These eggs will be retrieved and then combined with Paul's sperm in order to make a zygote to transfer into Kari's uterus, which also has been stimulated by hormones to be prepared to house Paul and Andrea's baby.

This process will take about 2 months to complete. Thank You Jesus for a perfect IVF experience!

Thursday, June 4, 2009

What is a gestational carrier? - post 4


Surrogacy is a method of reproduction whereby a woman agrees to become pregnant and deliver a child for a contracted party. A gestational carrier will carry the pregnancy to delivery after having been implanted with an embryo. (Taken from Wikipedia)

In other words, because Andrea has no uterus, Kari has volunteered to "share" her uterus with her. She will become pregnant with Paul and Andrea's genetic child. This is one of the most selfless acts that anyone could do for another person! Thank you "Kari the Carrier!"

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

YouTube Video of IVF Process - post 3

I found this video that may help some people see how the actual IVF process may work. The commentator is somewhat comical, but it might give you a better understanding.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WypK9TpD34&feature=related

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

How much will all of this cost? - post 2

Isn't technology amazing? It is kind of crazy to think about this entire process happening! Of course, like everything else in the world, IVF costs money. The good thing about us is that we have a HUGE helper on our side....God! Again, with God all things are possible!

These are approximate costs that I know about ahead of time...there is no telling what other additional costs might come up along the way...

IVF cycle: $10-12,000
Lawyer: $5,000
Psychological review: $1,000
Medications: $3-5,000
Pre-screening tests: $3-5,000
Travel: ???
Ultrasounds: $1-2,000
Obstetrician: ???
Hospital: ???
Life Insurance: $500-1000

Again, these are rough estimates of the fees I know of ahead of time. To help out with some costs we have put together a fundraiser! Please see the "Fill a Bottle, Fulfill a Dream" post or find the "Donate" button!

Monday, June 1, 2009

"Moolah for Miller Baby" - post 1

Fill a Bottle, Fulfill a Dream...
We have started a fundraiser to accomplish our dreams of growing our family. We have handed out baby bottles and asked those that participate to fill the bottle with whatever gift they feel led to do. If you are not in our area and would like to contribute, you may use the PayPal Donate button or send us your gift directly. You will never truly know how much you all mean to us! Here is what was attatched to each bottle:


Thank you so much for wanting to help us on our journey to grow our family! As most of you know, Paul and I delivered McKenzie Renae, our beautiful baby girl, on August 29, 2007. Shortly after the normal delivery there were complications. In order to save my life they had to remove my uterus. There were ups and downs while coping with this fact. However, with a husband whose faith never waivered, we have overcome the fear and reality of never having our own children again. Thanks to today’s technology and an unbelievably wonderful family, Paul and I will be able to have more of our own children through IVF with a gestational carrier. Kari and Jon Wanberg are truly an example of God’s love and miracles!! I have deemed her “Kari the Carrier.” The entire process, from start to finish, will cost anywhere from $30-40,000. In numbers, this seems like a lot, but with God, this is merely a drop in the bucket (or bottle)! Please take this bottle and put it in a place that you will not forget about. As you collect loose change or big moolah just store it in the bottle. In about a month’s time we will recollect them. Please note that money is not the only factor. We need your prayers and love and support. This journey will be awesome, and we are glad you are a part of it!

We have a special place that you can go to peek in on our story and its success. It is always good to be able to SEE what God is doing!

Visit http://www.millerwanbergivf.blogspot.com/ whenever you can.

People interested in our IVF...