Sooo... okay, I'm back in the saddle, and getting over some pretty tough jet-lag.
My wife and I have two biological kids. Girls, both. When my wife was pregnant with our second one, she was diagnosed with cancer. She obviously survived, but no more kids. I figured two perfectly healthy kids is wonderful, but she wanted a bigger family. It took her a couple of years, but eventually she won me around to her way of thinking.
So, adoption it was...
We thought about adopting from in the US, but the horror stories (and they can be true, we know..) about mothers changing their minds at the last minute, or lawyers getting involved, or deadbeat dads showing up on the day or delivery.. well, we decided that that's not for us. Our hearts couldn't take it.
So we decided to adopt internationally. The lawyers in other countries aren't as quick to smell blood and money.
So we looked around, and the program in Ethiopia was one of the quicker ones, at that time. We started 4 yrs and 9 months ago.
The paperwork involved is simply incredible. I wouldn't have believed it, if you'd have told me. All I can say is that from the get-go, people told us it wouldn't be easy, it wouldn't be cheap, and it wouldn't be quick. So we were warned.
Anyhow, we were matched last June with a newborn, and we finally got the call a week or so before Christmas. Drop everything and book flights and head out. Left on a sunday early afternoon, and arrived in Addis Ababa Tuesday morning. 9 hour time change. Layovers in Denver and DC. Long trip.
12 days later we're headed back. Addis to Frankfurt to Denver to Bismarck. 37 hours traveling with a toddler is enough to make me question my own sanity.
Anyhow, to answer the questions about adopting overseas versus here... besides the reasons above.. I looked at it like this. Every kid in the US has access to education. And they have access to health care. One way or another, here legally or not, they all can go to a doctor. Whether you like it or not...
But over there, a baby without parents just isn't going to make it. Period.
If they survive, they'll end up on the streets. I saw little kids sitting on the sidewalk, in the same spot, day after day, selling fingernail clippers for pennies. People ignoring them, stepping right over them. Then I looked at my little girls, and I couldn't imagine that life for them.
That's why we brought home Beti...
One of the pictures is from 4:30 AM on the first night back, after a hella long trip, and 1 hour of sleep.
I was not highly alert.
I am pretty "up" on adoption right now. If anybody has any questions, please ask. No questions will offend me.
