Adoption Rocks!

My Miracles Sister and Brother--A dynamite duo My Princessa--Savannah Hope, 4 years old

Prince Seth, 13 months

Today is a sad day in the adoption community. Russia has put a freeze on adoptions from the USA. This is due to the actions of one adoptive parent, who made a poor decision on how to handle an adoption she wanted to disrupt. The media has made a debacle out of this case and that infurates me. Why don't they publicize the THOUSANDS of successful adoptions from Russia and all countries and the USA? Why don't people who save children's lives and bring them here for surgery and with special needs get on the news? Then the media generalizes that all adoptions are horrible and it is a huge risk to adopt. Everything in life is a risk. Not just adoption. Plenty can happen with any child. Parenting is tough and if you want to parent it doesn't matter how the child joins your family and there are going to be days, months, years, etc. that are difficult. But, it is illegal to abandon your child, which is what she did. I am not saying that this woman did not have it hard, that she wasn't desperate and it was more than she could handle. I am not faulting her for not being able to parent and older child. I am faulting her for how she handled the situation and the choices she made that now affect the entire adoption community. There are people in process and deserving children waiting for their forever families, many who have already met each other. Russia requires a visit trip (at least one, some regions more) before finalization. My heart goes out to these children and families.

Today is We Are the Truth, Adoption Blogger Day. It is to let the world know about successful adoptions. Even though my blog is private, I am still participating, because I have the two most wonderful internationally adopted children in the world. BOTH our adoptions were extremely positive and special. Were there bumps in the road and stumbles along the way? Of course. Anything that is worth it in this world is a risk and a challenge and is HARD. That is what makes it worth it. I lived in a 16 room hotel with my daughter in Guatemala where it wasn't safe to go out for 88 days. And, I wouldn't change anything for the world. You make sacrifices for your child. Savannah is the most amazing daughter ever. I love her more than words can say. She is strong willed, beautiful, smart and funny. She fills our lives with laughter and joy. That 8 month old bundle of love that came home on November 16 2006, has grown into a gorgeous little girl full of life, love and vitality. Then Guatemala closed adoptions (due to politics, not parenting) and our hearts were saddened, but we still wanted to add another child to our family. We started a Kazakhstan adoption and then Kazakhstan closed and reopened and slowed to a standstill. We considered adopting from Russia and a domestic adoption. We were again a bit distraught, but never gave up. Then we found out about Japan through some wonderful lifelong friends and had some hard times and some loss, but in the end perservered and have our fantastic son. The bundle of joy that we met at 16 days old is now a fun loving, climbing, crawling, into everything, toddler boy. He is full of love, affection, smiles, and hugs. He is growing up so fast, but grew in our hearts for so long. Seth and Savannah are perfect to us and our family. We could not be happier and are touched by the miracle of adoption everyday of our lives.