International Adoption Guide

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I am happy to report that we are finally “Paper Pregnant!”. we have beendoing a lot of soul searching and even tried to go the Foster Care route but felt it was not the best program for us.

So, we are into our third home study already and working with Alliance for Children in MA. We are so excited after four years of wanting a second child. We couldn’t afford it financially, finally we got in a better state economically and have begun the process!

We will keep you posted on our progress.

Well, we didn’t know what to expect next so the biggest thing you have to do when you adopt is BE FLEXIBLE while in-country. You are a visitor there so just take things as they come. Our agency was great as they handled all the paperwork in Moscow that was needed for the US embassy. That’s the next step but for us, it was off the the international doctor in Russia to get a clearance to leave the country with our son.

We were taken in a van to the international doctors office. It was a building that looked like it was out of a 50’s magazine with cool architecture but it also looked a little “dingy” to be anything like a hospital. I was kind of afraid to go in but as I said, you go with the flow to get your child home. You can deal with your insecurities later but now…it’s all about getting all the paperwork together.

When I walked in it was a like line after line for different departments. We were asked to go into a room and get our son ready to be “naked” for inspection. O.K. This was going to be weird. But, I did what I was told. We were with two other couples at this point so it was nice not to be alone. As the Proverb goes…strength in numbers.

We were the second couple to go and we were led into an exam room. Here we were told to strip our son down to just his diaper and the doctor will be right in. So, we did and to my surprise, our son didn’t put up a fight! He was such a good baby that I was happy with that. Of course, I did the changing and unchanging while in Russia. I don’t think DH could have done it fast enough and we really didn’t have the time to “train” him in the fine art of changing diapers. I took that task.

So the doctor came in and check to make sure our son was able to travel, he had no diseases that were transferable, and in generally good health. Since everything checked out alright, he signed our paperwork and asked us to dress our son and wait for the other in the waiting room. I think the whole thing was about 10 minutes if that. It really isn’t anything to stress about.

After the doctors office, we went to take photos for our son’s passport which is the last piece of paperwork that is needed for our US Embassy Appointment! Which was the next day. So now…it’s tourist time!

Tomorrow I’ll talk about Red Square, Arabat Street and overall exploring.

Here’s to your adoption success!

So you have jumped all the hoops and did all the legal paperwork, it’s time to be united with your newest family member…forever! This is what is known as “got’cha day”. It simply means what it says. This is the day that the child will be leaving the orphanage or their caretakers up to this point, for good. This is the day that you’ve been waiting for! I would like to share a story about my experience for all those first-time parents out there. You think you have a good idea of what you are in for but it is far from the truth.

When we adopted our son, I thought I knew everything about a baby. I was rudely awakened by how much I didn’t know! It is my hope that you will take away the knowledge of my experiences so you can be better prepared than I was. Now remember, I was a first-time parent so for all those out there that are adopting with siblings at home, just remember your first child on their very first day at home! So here we go!

When the day came to take custody if our son, we had to provide about three layers of clothing to have the child dressed up in before we were allowed to leave the building. We adopted our son in mid-April so it was still winter and cold! We were then given a packet of forms to take back with us to Moscow for our final leg of the trip. It was all the court documents, decrees, medical reports and Our son’s Russian passport! I kept thinking “oh my god, this is really happening”. With everyone on the staff receiving their “gifts” from us, they handed me our son! After everyone gave hugs and kisses goodbye, we headed for our transportation back to the airport (2 hours away) to head to Moscow.

Here is a funny story now but at the time, I was terrified! We finally arrived at the hotel in Moscow and we were finally alone. I decided that our son could use a bath. So, I had a very shallow amount of water in the tub, got the body wash and shampoo, then put him in the tub. Oh my goodness! He was screaming like I was killing him! I did everything I could to hurry up and get him out! (BTW-this lasted for about three weeks after we got home) I then found out later, they have never really had a bath where they were sitting in water. I was so scared that the police would come in and take our son away! He was screaming that loud!

All I can say is that you will endure. I wanted to let my readers an inside look at what you may encounter as a first-time mom or what to look for. Paper-pregnancy is like being pregnant for real. You are intent in having a baby join your family but with adoptions you are intent on filling out every form right. Then bamm! You’re a parent! Be ready for it.

Each day we bonded, we found each others ways of communicating. In other words, our son could trust us and I got to learn his different cries. (the hungry, wet, hurt and fussy cries)

Here’s to your adoption success!