| When we decided to adopt our daughter from China | | | | When we got the picture on the internet I |
| we had no idea of the roller coaster ride we had | | | | immediately burst into tears and fell in love with the |
| signed up for. Looking back on the experience I think | | | | sad looking little girl in the picture. |
| if someone had told me what it would be like I may | | | | At this point you wait some more for your |
| have had second thoughts. Of course that is a lot like | | | | permission to travel. The authorities have to get |
| pregnancy and childbirth. Once you are into it you are | | | | everything organized for your travel and ok it all with |
| pretty much committed and in for the long haul. | | | | your child's orphanage. We got our permission on |
| Our adoption was different than most because we | | | | October 15th that we would be traveling the 25th of |
| were adopting child number seven. The five other | | | | October. That gave us time to organize our kids and |
| families that we traveled to China with had no | | | | prepare for our trip to China. |
| biological children. When we had made the decision to | | | | When you travel to China you must stay for two |
| adopt our daughter we contacted an international | | | | weeks to wait for your daughters visa and all the |
| adoption agency in Utah. | | | | necessary paperwork to make the whole transaction |
| I just did a Google search for international adoption | | | | legal. |
| agencies and they came up. They were closest to us | | | | We spent the first three days sight seeing without |
| so I went through them. When I called them I was | | | | actually seeing anything! I still don't know how they |
| almost apologetic about wanting to adopt a baby. I | | | | expected us to get involved in sight seeing when our |
| explained that we were probably too old but were | | | | babies were waiting for us just a few miles away. |
| really wanting to give a little girl a home. | | | | The third day they told us to get in the van we |
| The adoption agency worker assured me we were | | | | were going to pick up the babies. We were all |
| within the age limits and sent me the papers to sign | | | | ushered into a big office room and stood around |
| and the list of about 100 things to complete. When I | | | | waiting for our daughters to be brought in. As the |
| say 100 I may be exaggerating by about one or two | | | | directors came in each with a baby in their arms we |
| but that is the truth. | | | | were all just silent. |
| After contacting the international agency we had to | | | | The girsl began screaming as soon as the first one |
| contact our local adoption agency to do our | | | | was placed in a strangers arms, and the rest soon |
| homestudy. I called Catholic Social Services because | | | | joined in. Not to brag but our daughter was the only |
| there were no other agencies listed. We ended up | | | | one who did not cry. She was stoic right from the |
| paying about $2,000.00 more than we needed to | | | | start and just stared and stared at us. |
| because they did not tell me DES would do a | | | | I knew her the minute she came in the door. She had |
| homestudy for a fraction of their cost. | | | | on the same little knitted red sweater she had been |
| It took us six months to complete our list of things | | | | wearing in her referral picture and the exact same |
| to do. The biggest time factor is waiting to get | | | | expression. They called our name and I went forward |
| documents, finger print checks, visas, etc returned to | | | | to take her. That night at dinner another mom asked |
| you. If you make a mistake it just makes it a longer | | | | me how it felt compared to having a biological child. I |
| process. | | | | told her the feelings in my heart the minute they |
| We turned our dossier in February of 2004 and I | | | | placed that baby in my arms were the exact same |
| became pregnant. I mean that too, I ate everything | | | | feelings I had for each and every one of my other |
| in sight and gained as much weight as I had with my | | | | six children. |
| first biological child! We were all very excited and | | | | Our adoption was a roller coaster ride for sure. But it |
| waited very impatiently for our baby girl. | | | | was a ride that I would line up for again and again |
| Seven months later we got our referral. A referral is | | | | given the chance. |
| your daughters' picture and a brief bio about her. | | | | |