02 Feb 2022 Three babies, two women, one miracle

By Judy Riley

The road to parenthood is often a winding one. For Matt and Morgan Yates, becoming parents has been a long journey filled with friendship, hope, faith and love. 

After several failed pregnancies, and after enduring the loss of her 19-day-old son, Gus, who came into this world prematurely, the Yates still desired to grow their family. So they prayed, and they persevered. 

The couple completed a home study for adoption. They also pursued a fertility clinic in Little Rock. But, they decided to see a doctor in St. Louis who specializes in “mini IVF.” COVID-19 complicated the process, and things did not go according to plan; they were the last couple to get an appointment before all elective surgeries were postponed. It was as if God was saying not yet.

While Morgan was struggling with starting a family, her lifelong friend Katherine, “Katie,” Zehr was in her third year of medical school at UAMS. Her classes were sidelined as COVID-19 raged, so she was working at her family’s farm, Barnhill Orchard in Cabot.

Katie and Morgan met on the first day of kindergarten at Southside Elementary in Cabot where their mothers were teachers. During the early years, they played soccer, had sleepovers, even joint birthday parties, the kind of things written in idyllic storybooks. In fact, each of their families were examples of what’s best in families: a good work ethic, the value of education and a desire to give back. 

“Morgan loves strawberries,” Katie said, “which is one of Barnhill’s specialties, so she would come to the farm to pick up her usual order. Morgan still had that big smile, but her eyes told another story.”

Heartache continued to weigh heavy on Katie for her friend. She remembered Morgan’s mom coming up to her at Gus’ funeral, giving her an extra-long hug and saying: “Morgan’s going to need you.” At that time, she didn’t understand the depth of her mom’s heartfelt words; however, as time passed the story began to unfold.

One day, Katie, who is a lover of succulents, was looking at a big pot of “hen and chickens,” and she noticed one lone “chick” had migrated far from the mother plant, yet was still attached. This made her think of Morgan and baby Gus; Gus was removed physically, but he was still attached to his mother. That “hen and chickens” plant now thrives in Morgan’s kitchen window.

That is when the seed of the idea was planted: Katie and her husband Nic would offer to serve as a surrogate for Morgan and Matt. Mother’s Day was soon approaching, and Katie called Morgan to say that God had placed it on her heart to be a surrogate for her. According to Morgan, “that’s the only explanation for someone to offer something so huge without requesting anything in return.” Morgan admits she never prayed for a surrogate; she simply asked God to make a way for her and Matt to have a healthy baby to raise and love. 

The in vitro process was long and complicated for both of them. They both took injections and pills to prepare their bodies. Morgan’s first retrieval was in June on her 30th birthday and then another in September. The plan was for Katie to get two of the embryos because often only one survives. During the process of retrieval, the doctor discovered Morgan was ready to receive an embryo. Facing past fears head on, Morgan and Matt decided to try again. Their prayer was that perhaps one of the embryos would survive; however, all three embryos survived. Morgan carried one of their babies, and Katie carried their other two babies.

The journey was not easy. Morgan was confined to total bed rest for half of her pregnancy. Katie’s delivery was by Cesarean after a long and difficult labor. But, both persevered through commitment to each other and the support of family and friends.

Three babies, now six months old, have three distinct personalities and two different birthdates. Remi Harper was born May 24 and might be the future family diva. Mackenzie Mae and Maverick McCall were born June 6. Mac is the hilarious one, sometimes the rebel child. Mav has the biggest smile and loves to be held.

Morgan freely admits she has a village of support. Her mother retired after a 39-year teaching career to come to her daily aid and help with her three new grandchildren. Morgan’s prayer was for the Lord to send help and these friends are a direct answer: Tara Haubein, Don Ann Crumbly, Laura Widener, Mati Yates and Amanda Sobczak. Her prayer now is for God to reward them for their selflessness and love.

What does the future hold for these friends, three babies and the village that loves them? According to Morgan, “Our faith brought us to and through everything that led Katie and Nic to us and to us having three babies. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Is it easy, raising three at once? “No, but somehow, God selected us for this task and our faith and love for Him will continue to sustain us.” 

When Katie is asked why and how she and Nic stay connected when they have sacrificed so much for their friend, she responds with, “That is who we are and what we care about.” Katie will graduate from medical school in May and will go on for a dual residency in Pediatrics and Internal Medicine. Because of work schedules, the families only see each other every couple of weeks, but Katie enjoys making baby food for all three babies. Remi loves green beans, Maverick loves anything orange, and Mac is still unsure about food, but likes anything sweet.

Morgan returned to teaching in January as a Dyslexia Interventionist at Cabot Junior High South. She says the children will always know about the love and sacrifice of a friend who brought them into the world. And they will learn of a community of support and love that continues to nurture and enrich them, a true journey of love in the 501!