Our Decision to Adopt...

Have you ever made a decision that just immediately felt right? Well, in the end, that's about all we can say. The decision to make this trip and adopt Kai and Sierra just feels right. And it has since the day we made the decision.

But there is more to the story of course. Like many couples who ultimately choose to adopt, we couldn't have predicted we'd end up heading down this road... much less going halfway around the world to make it happen.

The question that's usually on everyone's mind (but less frequently asked) is "Did you have problems having kids on your own? and is that why you chose to adopt?" In our case, the answer to this question is both yes and no. At first, we did anticipate having a biological child like most other couples... but after about 1 year of trying, we began to question why it wasn't happening. With the help of the experts, we set out to get the answer to our question.

The next 3-4 months was filled with a series of tests, opinions, and procedures that I won't detail here! But in the end, the answer we received was not the one we expected - "You are both fine. None of our tests uncovered anything that would lead us to believe you can't have a biological child." While at first this might seem like a blessing, the emotional side of things isn't quite so positive. In reality, this diagnosis of "unexplained infertility" basically means the medical community was at a loss. We now had an important choice to make... A) continue trying on our own, B) let science and technology take a prominent role in creating our family, or 3) consider adoption.

All three options have their merit, and we would never pass judgment on any couple who decides to pursue either option A, B, or C. But for us, there was this strong feeling that this was all happening for a reason - like it was part of our life's plan. The more we discussed our options, we both became energized over the simplicity of the whole situation:

We wanted children more than anything in the world.
Many children need loving parents more than anything in the world.

On May 3rd, 2004 (over a bottle of red wine and some great Italian food) we made our decision to adopt. It immediately felt right... and it has each day since.

Some Related Links:

Our Adoption Agency (World Partners Adoption)

The Baby Houses of Kazakhstan

Detailed Info on International Adoption

US Immigration - International Adoption

 
 
  A Jim & Carla Creation - 2004