International Adoption??

No, not again.....but the initial thoughts for this blog were that I would share some of our thoughts & experiences of our two international adoptions. To refresh my memory, I looked back at some of my emails of when we went to get the diva, six years ago. It's been six years!!! I just had to send her to her room because she hit the neighbor kid. Six long, lovely years!!

Here's an email that I sent out after our court hearing in June, 2002:

First of all, Jessica, you are a big sister (again)! Catherine, you are a big sister (again)! and Sam, you are now the BIG brother!

Dearest friends and family: Things went very well at court this morning.The judge and the prosecutor were very stern looking, and we were asked to answer a lot of questions, which is hard with an interpreter. When I said that I was an only child and wanted lots of children, the judge smiled. To make a long story short, Larry & I are the proud parents of Hannah GraceAlexandra Sartain, born August 18, 2001 in Luga, Lenigrad Region, Russia. The judge made an immediate decision - no waiting period whatsoever. The court was held in a very old building (all the buildings are old), with 14 foot ceilings, plaster walls, etc. It looked like it had formerly been a palace of some sort, and probably was. Everything is retrofitted for electricity, telephone and plumbing; wires run along the ceiling and pipes along the walls. I have no clue how it is heated in the winter time. We took the interpreters, the orphanage director, the orphanage inspector, and the other American couple to lunch after the court hearings. After lunch, we went shopping for a little bit, then we were dropped back off at the hotel. The interpreters went back to the courthouse to wait on the court papers. We will get the Russian passport here for Hannah, then travel to Luga tomorrow to change her birth certificate, present gifts to the orphanage, and get Hannah.

It's really hard to describe our emotions right now. We are excited, but it still seems somewhat surreal. We think that when she is finally with us, in our room, dressed in American clothes, screaming and pooping, that she willreally seem to be ours! The orphanage inspector made a very sweet speech at lunch; about how it breaks her heart to see the children of Russia leave the country, but that in the current economic times, no one here can afford to adopt. She said she traveled to the US last year and met some adoptive couples and waspleased to see how much the children she had once cared for were loved by their new parents.

I'm sorry that this is so long, but my heart is very full now, and I wanted to share my first impressions and reactions with you, our friends andfamily. Thank you so much for your prayers and support - we felt a calm presence today. I'll keep you posted ....... Judy & Larry

That was sent out June 10, 2002. We had first visited with the Diva in mid-April. In April, Larry mainly held her while I took video. I distinctly remember holding her close, nuzzling her neck and singing "Jesus Loves Me" in her ear. She was so solemn and gazed deeply in my eyes. I know that she was wondering "who is this strange lady and what gibberish is she singing?"

Her temper is legendary; her vocabulary amazing; her self-assuredness is remarkable; and her imagination truly out of this world. She is my daughter, and I (we) traveled across the world for her. Worth every mile, and more!