Stories

Adoption is just one way to help the kids!

When my husband and I decided that adoption was something we wanted to do, we decided on Russia as I was lucky enough to work with some lovely people from Russia and I had also heard about the 700,000 children in their orphanages. The process of applying was long and often trying but many things worth doing are difficult. When you consider that the Russian system is trying to be certain that they are placing these children in safe, loving homes, all the medical exams and background checks are logical and well worth it.

When we met our son, it was truly a leap of faith…..he had been born prematurely and had suffered inter-uterine traumas but he had a sparkle in his eyes that told me he was a fighter and I am a fighter too. I planned to fight for his future and his health. My husband and I were lucky enough to spend 2 months in the towns of Kungur and Perm visiting our son each day and seeing the hard work of the staff and the caring they gave to these children. With limited resources, the staff worked to make the lives of these kids better. The day we went to court and were awarded the right to be parents to this wonderful boy was one of the greatest in our lives!

With the coordination of a fellow adoptive mother, Helene, from France, a group of adoptive parents across the world have connected and now Helene has started an association that will work to help provide additional funds to the Kungur baby house where our children started their lives and where others remain. For those who might be looking for a direct way to help children in need, this association is a way to do it with confidence that the money truly goes to the children.

H.D.

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NADIA...

Ever since I was a little girl and we adopted my brother from Korea, I knew that when I was an adult that I wanted to adopt my children, too. My husband was also excited about adoption; why make more children when there were already so many children in the world who needed love, a family, a home? Our wish to adopt first came true when we traveled to Kungur, Russia and met our daughter, Nadia.

When we met her, she was 17 months old. Her obviously loving caregiver brought her into a room to meet us. We could tell how much Yelena loved Nadia and we were relieved to see that Nadia had a bond with someone at the baby home. We were entranced with her from the start -- from the way she squealed about a balloon we brought, to the way she trotted about on her baby legs, to the way she finally shyly smiled at us. This first visit was in August of 2006 and Kungur was lovely in the late summer. We strolled about, taking pictures we could share with Nadia later. As we walked, we wondered when we would be able to come back for our court date and bring Nadia home.

Our return to Kungur was several months later, in December. At home, we had been busily painting Nadia's bedroom, buying her clothes, and waiting with much anticipation! We would be in Russia for most of December, including the Christmas holiday. We knew it would be a different Christmas than we usually had, but we didn't mind. We were going to pick up the greatest gift either of us had ever received -- our child.

December in Kungur was snowy and cold with darkness that came early each afternoon. But each day for us held the gift of seeing Nadia at the baby home. We would visit in the morning and then again before dinner. Our days revolved around walking to the baby home along snowy paths and then getting to know this little person who was now a part of our family. She was more wary of us now than when we had met her in August. It took many days before she smiled, but then when she did, the whole world lit up for us. And when she laughed? Fireworks! We were thrilled and waited eagerly for our day at court to gain custody of our little girl. When that day came, we were nervous, but confident that all would be well. And it was! The next day we went to the baby home and saw Nadia and the rest of her group have a Christmas party together.

Though the home had very little, they did their best to make it a special day for the children. There were plenty of lovely Russian songs, dancing, a play, and chocolates for all the children. We wished that they had more, but were amazed to see how beautifully the staff managed with so little to work with. And after that, Nadia was ours. We hugged all her wonderful caregivers goodbye. We all cried. And then she was placed in our arms and our lives together began. What a wonderful time that was. How lucky we are. Every day I look at my children; Nadia, our gift from Kungur, and now also our son, Nikolai, a gift from Vladivostok, Russia, and think how very lucky our family is. Russia's children; our children. We are forever grateful.