The Walk is about 1.8 miles and the weather should be perfect. Join us for a great time to celebrate families and support RESOLVE. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and the Walk starts at 9:00 a.m. We have a few donations, including jewelry, spa gift certificate and a few other items, that you can win. For more information about the Walk visit the RESOLVE website.

Thanks to the following for donating items to our event:

The Center for True Harmony & Wellness for a spa gift certificate and herbal tea.
Metal Stamped Memories for a beautiful “believe” necklace.
T.K.I. Designs for a beautiful “waiting” necklace.
Jillian Burden for a beautiful “Have Faith” necklace.
BugABoo Jewelry for a key chain, Pea Pod necklace and a Glass tile necklace.
Hope of My Heart Designs for a necklace that says, “For this child, I prayed.”
Starz Jewelry for a beautiful “hope” necklace with beads.

A Child After 40 was launched in May 2011 and provides an online support community featuring a new Summer Series of free educational Q&A Forums for midlife women. A Child After 40/FlowerPowerMom.com has been featured widely in the media since launching in 2009, including several interviews on CNN, and a multitude of radio programs and newspapers across the USA.

Date and Time: November 6, 2010 from 8am-12noon. Registration at 7:30 a.m.
Location: 1111 E. McDowell Road, Phoenix, AZ 85006 (located at McDowell and12th Streets)

How YOU can participate:

The Adoption Seminar is an event dedicated to couples who desire to build their families through adoption. You will learn the differences in the application process between domestic and international adoption. You’ll hear how to choose an adoption agency, the laws regarding adoption, the rights of the adopting parents as well as the birthparents. Discover the countries currently allowing adoptions, their unique challenges, and the different requirements of each country. Other topics include: Adoptive Parent Panel, Adoption Home Study, Financing Adoption, and How to Get Picked.

Register to attend the event by November 4th. Visit: www.southwest.resolve.org. Walk-in registration accepted, but registering online will help prevent cancellation of the event for low attendance.

While answering the questionnaire for the trust I made sure to include language that would allow my children access to funds for family planning. The document states that the Trustee can distribute money to the beneficiaries for the “well-being of the Beneficiary, including…adoptions and/or infertility treatments.” While it may seem silly to someone who hasn’t experience the expense of fertility treatments I wanted to make sure my daughters have every opportunity to build their own families if by chance they are unable to conceive spontaneously. While I am not sure the specific language was necessary, I feel better to have included it.

Just another way infertility has impacted my life and how I hope to help my daughters if it should happen to them too…

1. You will take charge of finding the resolution that is right for you.

2. You will learn about medical, mental health, legal and other issues from top experts in the field of infertility and family building. Click here for a complete list and description of sessions and speakers.

3. You will realize you are not alone and will connect with others who are exploring family building options including adoption, advanced reproductive technology, and third party reproduction.

4. You will see demonstrations of acupuncture and Mayan Abdominal Massage and experience complimentary reflexology.

5. You might win a fabulous door prize!

Learn more and register for the Fall Family Building Symposium on Saturday, November 7 on our website.
RESOLVE Arizona’s Fall Family Building Symposium
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Embassy Suites Airport Hotel
Phoenix, AZ

One year after our cycle we recieved paperwork from our clinic asking us what we wanted to do with our embryos. Our options were 1) keep them frozen and pay the annual fee, 2) donate them to another couple, or 3) destroy them. Our twins were only a few months old. We opted to keep our embryos frozen. I was hanging onto the idea of trying for another child, but my husband was ready to destroy the embryos.  Thankfully, he knew I wasn’t ready and agreed to keep them on ice for at least one more year.

Then year two rolled around. We had to make a decision. I called our clinic to see if there was a fourth option, donate our embryos to science. Unfortunately, this was not something our clinic did. Both my husband and I were disappointed. We actually discussed that had we know this we might have chosen another clinic. Yet, neither of us ever thought we would have unused embryos.

My husband was adamant that our embryos not be “used” by someone else. He didn’t want his DNA to be raised by a stranger. While I can understand his point, I disagreed that the embroys were our children even though they contained our DNA. But in the end we made the decision to destroy our left over embroys since he was unwilling to donate them to another couple.

When I read articles like this one: Embryo Adoption An Alternative For Infertile Couples,  it makes me sad that we didn’t donate our embryos to another couple. However, I am thankful there are other couples who have used IVF that are willing to do so.

What are your thoughts? Would you donate your unused embryos? Or, on the other hand, would you be willing to adopt embryos?

Congratulations to Parenthood for Me for their news clip about their non-profit organization that is helping couples who are struggling with infertility or in the throws of adoption.

Also, I submitted a short article on my story for their recent contest. I was an honorable mention. Thanks Erica!

My friend Jimmy Moore sent me an email alerting me to a post on his blog about a couple in the UK who was denied the ability to adopt because the male partner is obese, Fat Discrimination.

One of my husband’s good friends just adopted their second baby. It makes me sad of this couple in the UK who have been denied the joy of a family.

What do you think? Should someone be denied because of their weight, race, religion, you name it?

When the ability to become pregnant using the tradition methods doesn’t work many of us result to fertility treatments. All of the testing, poking, prodding, etc. isn’t for everyone. Others determine that they don’t want to even start fertility treatments and proceed with the adoption process without ever sticking themselves with one needle. Or some couples determine that after a few attempts with IUIs or IVFs they want to add a child to their family and they do so through adoption or surrogacy.

Adoption is a great way for some couples to build their families. I recognize that adoption is not for everyone and some couples choose to live child free. It’s a couple’s choice and a difficult one for many.

Kathryn and her husband decided that adoption was a better option for them than proceeding with a second IVF. They are the proud parents of boy/girl twins. If you didn’t know their children were adopted, you’d never know because they do look a little like Kathryn and her husband.

This is an inspirational story. Kathryn also gives some great advice about adoption alternatives and how to manage the process. As she mentions, adoption comes with it’s own set of challenges.

I hope you’ll leave your opinion about this interview in the comment section. Thanks for listening.

In Ontario the rate of infertility is 1 in 10 for women under age 30 or 1 in 6 for women over 30. In 2006 there were 850 adoptions through the Ontario’s children aid societies. Statistics not much different than in the US.

Why can’t the US create something similar? Is Ontario more concerned about their future population or are they just more compassionate than those in government here? Do you think something similar would ever be established in the US?