Sharing the Story of Embryo Adoption

When me and my spouse of 12 years embarked upon the journey towards embryo adoption, I knew that I'd want to be able to disclose how we became a family to our "snowflake babies" from the very beginning. Learning as a young adult from the experiences of now-adult adoptees and donor-conceived people, I could see that openness, connection, and unconditional love would be crucial factors for the ongoing wellness and integration of our own embryo-adopted children and wanted to find books that we'd be able to read with them that explained their story in an age-appropriate way. Then, when I would talk about the topic with friends and family, most of them had no idea what embryo adoption was at all, were eager to learn more about it, and wanted a way to be able to talk about it with their children (who often overheard us talking about the process). When I looked for children's books on the subject, I was left feeling less-than-satisfied with the options out there, and knew I had to get to work putting pen to paper to fill a niche in the children's lit space.

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After a year and half of drafting and reiteration (that overlapped with getting legal custody of our four "em-babies" and the proceeding adventure of our first frozen embryo transfer, pregnancy, and live birth!), I am happy to present these two companion books which I have authored, and my friend and brilliant collaborator Maria so beautifully and playfully illustrated:

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First, Marvelous You: A Story of Embryo Adoption for Snowflake Babies Everywhere — a book carefully crafted for children who were adopted as embryos. Understanding that early and frequent disclosure is the best practice for adoptee mental health, Marvelous You is a poetic story meant to be read from an early age to help growing "snowflake babies" understand the beautiful and unique history of their conception and adoption, of their expansive and one-of-a-kind family, and—perhaps most vitally—of their inherent human dignity and unchangeable self-worth.

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Then, we created Family for a Snowflake: A Book for Loved Ones of Embryo Adoptees because I knew I'd want to share our story with our community from the beginning, too. This book is for children who are part of the beloved communities surrounding the growing demographic of "snowflake babies." Following the understanding that early and frequent disclosure is the best practice for adoptee mental health, we could see that talking about it with peers in an age-appropriate way will be part of an adoptee's own processing, this book was a necessity. 

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Now, with the first Murphy snowflake baby cozy in our arms, I'm so happy to be able to read these books to him, to help him know how precious, treasured, and worthy he is and always has been, since his conception. Likewise, we have many friends who are traveling a similar road and are discerning or pursuing embryo adoption, and I'm beyond thrilled to be able to offer these books to them and their communities, so that we all can do right by these precious tiny humans.