That Is Not Your Baby

Carolyn Savage, 40, is about to give birth, by cesarean section, to a baby boy who is not her son. No - this is not another version of the horror flick Rosemary's Baby - but it does prove Murphy's Law (anything that can go wrong, will go wrong).

Carolyn, due to a mix-up at a fertility clinic, is carrying the embryo from another couple. The mistake was discovered 10 days after the frozen embryo was implanted into her womb. This was in early February 2009. The doctor told them they could abort, but the couple didn't consider that a viable option.

Carolyn and Sean, 39, her husband, have decided to have the baby, and when it is born, turn it over to the real biological parents - Paul and Shannon Morell, of Troy, Michigan.

Embryo mix-ups at fertility clinics are extremely rare. In those few instances, they've degenerated into custody battles, ugly lawsuits and at least one abortion. But not this time. Savage and her husband decided that the right thing — the only thing — to do was to give the baby to the biological parents.

Although the Savages have two sons, and a daughter born with the help of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) doctors have told Carolyn that this must be her final pregnancy.

Shannon and Paul Morell, both 39, have twin girls - also conceived through in-vitro fertilization.

See video clip here

Shannon would not say what clinic she and her husband, Paul used or what legal action they were considering because of the mistake. They have nonetheless hired attorneys who say they are working to make sure the fertility clinic accepts responsibility.

Carolyn Savage is due to give birth to a boy within the next two weeks. When it happens Paul and Shannon Morell will be nearby, waiting to meet their son.

“It’s just the oddest feeling to have somebody else carrying your child because, as a parent, you want to do everything possible to protect your child," Shannon Morell said this morning. "We were totally powerless and out of control. Even though we were grateful, it was just a terrible feeling.”

Although there is no family link between the two couples isn't it strange that Shannon Morell’s maiden name is Savage..... coincidence or fate?

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Couple Have Their 18th Child

Alexandru Ionce, 51, and his wife Livia, 44, did not set out to be the center of attention but 18 kids later, lots of media attention was focused on the family. Baby Abigail weighed 7lb 12oz at birth. She is the 10th girl born into the family. See the video here.

"We never planned how many children to have. We just let God guide our lives, you know, because we strongly believe life comes from God and that's the reason we did not stop the life," said Mr Ionce, who works in construction.

The Ionce's immigrated from Romania to Abbotsford, B.C., in 1990 with five children. Their 17 other children range in age from 20 months to 23-year-old Ioana. None are twins and all were born naturally, except four-year-old Filip, who was born by Caesarean section. They live in a 7 bedroom house with only 2 bathrooms to share. "It's tough sometimes," says Ioana. "Sometimes there's lineups but we're used to it."

"We're a lot of people but my parents taught us organization and discipline," she says. "I like it, it's good."

"I've been to my friend's house - an only child," says 15-year-old Alex. "It's different. Quiet around his house all the time. Not fun. It's not quiet here."

Alexandru works in construction, and admits it's not cheap to have a family so large. "Yeah, it is expensive," he says. But while money's in short supply, love is not. And even though she's 44-years-old, Livia's not sure she's done. "I don't know what's happen in the future," she says. "There might be more."

Even with 18 kids the Ionce's are not in the Guinness Book of Records:

• A Russian woman, known only as "the wife of Feodor Vassilyev", who gave birth to 69 children in the 18th century from 27 pregnancies.


• The book also cites Leontina Albina, from Chile, as the most prolific living mother. She reportedly gave birth to her 55th child in 1981.

Teen Kills 4 Family Members

Nathaniel Casey Dickson, 18 of Easley, S.C. was arrested on Saturday, April 26, 2008 around 8:30pm. He is accused of killing 4 of his family members earlier that day.

Dead are: His father, Samuel Andrew Dickson, 46; Samuel Dickson's wife, Martiza Hurtado Dickson, also 46; her daughter, Melissa Jiliam Salazar, 19; and Taylor Alex Dickson, 14, son of Samuel Dickson and brother of the suspect. They all had lived in a tan and blue house at 153 Pine Lake Drive.

Nathaniel Dickson was arrested at a home in Belton about 20 miles from where the bodies of his family members were found. Anderson County Sheriff's spokeswoman Susann Griffin said investigators have not determined a motive for the killings and declined to say if the teen was cooperating with the authorities, but Sheriff David Crenshaw is confident that they have the right person under arrest:

"We are not seeking any other suspect in this case nor do we feel anyone else is in danger" Crenshaw said.

Nathaniel also has an older brother and step-sister who both live outside their parents home.

It all began when someone called 911 to report that it seemed as if someone had fallen out of their car. The paramedics arrived around 9:30am to find the body Nathaniel's father lying in the yard near the roadside. They called the police who entered the family home to find two dead women, one in a bed and the other in a chair. They also found the body of 14-year-old Taylor Dickson shot to death behind a clothes dryer where he was apparently trying to hide.

Nathaniel Dickson graduated from Wren High School last year and had moved out of the family home, but according to a neighbor, Melissa Funk, he had moved back just a few weeks ago. She said the teen played video games with her 16-year-old son and never appeared to cause any problems. Fred Gilbert, who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 20 years, said a man who lived at the shooting scene usually stayed in his yard. "He seemed like a guy that worked hard," Gilbert said.