Our family was asked to be featured in an upcoming adoption newsletter. Here is our story...
Simply put, when we first decided that we would like to adopt a Russian baby boy to enrich our family life and provide our 7-year old daughter with a sibling she could care for and love, never could we have imagined the process that we would have had to go through, nor the absolutely delightful, energetic, and curious little ten-month old boy who would become our son.
There is no question but that the adoption process is a long and involved one. We had more “to do” lists than we could handle at times. There were forms to be processed, interviews to be given, physical exams to be scheduled, and information to be absorbed, just to mention a few of the tasks that required a team effort by both of us and an exceedingly well-organized plan of attack. Even as the costs of the adoption seemed to rise as time went by, we never for a moment doubted that this was the right thing for us to do. We were totally committed to it. (To be honest, you have to be!)
We received notice of a possible adoption about a year after we began the process. A photo was sent to us of a beautiful blond toddler boy, one who we were also told had a number of physical difficulties. We discussed this little boy’s medical history with a number of people, among them a doctor in New York City who specialized in Russian adoptions. She helped us see both the pros and cons of this adoption, and in the end, we made the difficult decision to pass on this particular child. During discussions such as these, we learned a lot about ourselves, a process that was to continue even once we decided that little Brady was the son we were hoping and waiting for.
Brady, whose birth name was Alexander – the reason we decided to include it in the name we gave him – was nine months old when we first went to visit him in Tver, Russia. It was a long journey to Moscow, and then a two-hour drive to this city where the orphanage was located. The Frank Agency provided us with a translator and adoption coordinator with whom we became close friends over the next three months, as well as a driver who met us at the airport and drove us around the city as needed. We also had reservations made for us at a lovely, Americanized hotel in the city within walking distance to everything. We felt the time we spent there gave us an excellent introduction to the Russian people and culture.
As soon as we met Brady, we knew! We know this may sound simple, but in your heart, when you first see the child who could become your son, you have an indescribable feeling and connection to him. Brady took to us immediately as well, laughing and cuddling as we spend the first few days with him.
Meanwhile, we were sending videos back home and to the doctor in New York City, as well as talking to her via Skype each day. Our discussions with her concerned some medical information we received about Brady, and ultimately, we decided to “take a leap of faith.” It turned out to be the most wonderful decision we could have made. With each subsequent trip to Tver – there were three trips in all, we fell more and more in love with this child.
On the final trip, we came well-prepared to bring this little boy home. We brought a stroller which was invaluable in the airports; food, diapers, and clothing; toys; and a loose leaf binder filled with all the data we had to present in order to get both Russian and American approval for the adoption. Our 7-year old daughter accompanied us since we wanted her to feel part of the process. She took to Brady instantly, as you can see by one of the first pictures we took of the two of them together. He was and continues to be “all smiles” for her.
We have had Brady now for four months, and we are learning to be a four-person family with all the typical up’s and down’s. He is thriving beautifully and has transitioned into our environment seamlessly. Overall it has been great and we couldn’t be happier. Again, we know this may sound simple, but it feels as if Brady has always been ours!
This week was my first full week back to work. This was definitely a harder transition than with Julia. I had really enjoyed my three months on leave bonding with Brady. Not to mention, he was at such a fun age. It was also harder for me because I put my heart and soul into bringing Brady home. We have not shared the many obstacles that we faced in our journey to Russia with many people (in the grand scheme of things this is trivial), however, it definitely took alot out of Dave and I mentally and physically. So for this part of my journey to be coming to an end is tough. However, I look forward to the many memories that are to come with this new found love in my life:) Fortunately I was able to experience many of Brady's firsts : first word "Mama", first steps and first tooth. Time has really flown by as it seems like yesterday that I was at Myrtle Beach on vacation filling out our initial Adoption registration forms!! WOW!
