We Are The Truth – an adoption blogger day

Today has been designated We Are The Truth Day, and adoptive families are encouraged to share their positive adoption stories.

Tragically, on this same day, Russia has announced that it is suspending U.S. adoptions (click here for more info).  They have not stopped them altogether - we must continue to be vocal about the good stories! We also need to pray that the U.S. delegation traveling to Russia next week will find a way to come to a mutually beneficial agreement with Russia, one that protects the children involved.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The adoption process is emotional and full of uncertainties and risks. But then again, how is that different from pretty much anything in life? Life doesn't come with any guarantees either.

Our adoption story began in 2002 when we decided to start a family. Little did we know, a precious blonde hair blue eyed baby boy was just a few weeks old at the time.

After a few years of no luck on the baby front, doctors began wanting to do extensive testing and start procedures that would help us get pregnant. We prayed about it, and God clearly showed us that His plan was for us to adopt. (That was His plan all along, it just took us a while to listen and realize it!)

On February 7, 2007 we officially committed to adopt a child from Ukraine, a country we knew virtually nothing about, but a country God clearly laid on our hearts.

Exactly 9 months later, we were sitting at Ukraine's State Department of Adoption, and were shown the picture of the most beautiful boy I'd ever seen. And two days after that (Nov 9, 2007), we met our son.

On December 7, 2007, we arrived at the Atlanta airport to the welcoming cheers of 6 grandparents, an uncle, and a sweet friend. Our journey was complete, but our adventure was just beginning.

I feel like we went into the adoption well informed. We knew that there were negative stories out there. We knew there was the possibility that our child would come to us with deep emotional and psychological scars.

We were blessed with a smooth transition. Sure, there were rough times. For instance, there were times at the beginning where punishment of standing in the corner resulted in "William nee like Mommy. William nee like Amelica" (William not like Mommy, William not like America). And he always had to be with one of us, no matter what. That meant if I walked into the kitchen to get a drink, he was right behind me. If I went the bathroom, he was at the door.

But all in all, he did remarkably well. Our attachment process went smoothly. We explained to friends and family that Zack & I needed to be the ones to provide for all of his needs - EVERYTHING - even things as small as tying a shoe or walking him to the bathroom. And we needed to be the ones to provide comfort as well.

Almost 2 1/2 years later, our little Ukrainian-American is - well, not so little anymore!  He's grown by leaps and bounds, but not just physically. He loves school. He enjoys playing soccer and basketball. He is a great runner. He is a good friend, and a valuable member of our family.  On December 6, 2009 we rejoiced as he made his public profession of faith, telling everyone that He believes in Jesus and accepts Him as His Savior and Lord, and followed that with believers baptism.

We love him more than we could have imagined, and we can't imagine life without him. He truly is our gift from God.

William knows where he came from. He was 5 1/2 when he came home, so he remembers a little, but not much. We are open about how our family came to be, and we talk about things on an age-appropriate level. We know more questions will come as he gets older. For now, he is content knowing that he was born in Ukraine, but his home is with Mommy & Daddy, in America.

We are thankful that Ukraine allowed us to come to their country for our adoption. We are thankful for the caregivers that watched over William at the orphanage. We are thankful for the kind director at the orphanage. We are thankful for the birth mother that chose life. And we anxiously and excitedly look forward to returning to Ukraine in the coming months to bring another child into our family through adoption.