FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS...

1.  Why Russia?

        Deciding to adopt was the easy part...deciding where we wanted to adopt from was another matter entirely.  You would think it would be easy--but there are many things to consider.  After giving it a LOT of thought, we decided that the child we adopted didn't necessarily have to be a newborn.  We also love to travel and are intrigued by other lands and cultures,  and thought it would be wonderful to add another culture to the fabric of our family.  We thought international adoption might be the answer we were looking for.  We heard about a seminar a New England agency was holding locally, and we decided to attend.  It just so happened that they specialized in adoptions from  Russia, Ukraine, and Romania.  We listened to the adoptive parents who graciously shared their amazing adoption stories, saw their precious children, and knew we had narrowed the field down to three countries.  After some research, we became fascinated with Russia--the culture, the landscape, and the people.  We also felt that they had the best adoption program in place.  

2.  How much is this costing you?

We always find this question humorous because the people who are asking it are usually perturbed that we "would have to pay anything for a child"--what they don't realize is that everyone must pay for their child's entrance into their life, whether that child came to the family by birth or through an adoption plan. 

The cost of an international adoption is comparable to the cost of a complicated delivery in the United States (except adoption isn't covered by health insurance!)  The facilitators, coordinators, case workers, translators, drivers, and the orphanage staff are not volunteers--they are professionals who work diligently to make adoptions a reality for many families.  Our fee pays their salary.

3.  It's so horrible--how can a mother just give her child to an orphanage?

Well, we look at it this way--perhaps the birth mother felt she was giving her child a chance at a better life than she was able to give--a truly selfless act.  Perhaps she is still wracked with grief.  Perhaps not.  The truth is, we don't know.  We don't have a whole lot of information to give to our daughter about her birth mother or birth family, and so we can't pass judgment on something we know so little about.  This birthmother gave us an incredible gift--she gave our child life, and that is what is most important to us. 

4.  Will your daughter know that she was adopted?

Absolutely, unequivocally, yes!  Her adoption story is an important part of her life.  It will be a fact that she always knows, a part of her birth story.  Someday, we hope to bring her back to Russia to show her where she was born.

5.  Will she speak English?

Well, she'll be 10 months old when we bring her home, so she will understand and maybe speak some Russian words.  Remember, children who have lived in orphanages are typically delayed, so she probably won't be saying much.  It won't be long before she understands English words, though!  We plan to use Russian for the important words (eat, drink, milk, sleep, and I love you being some of them) along with the English words at first, to help her in the transition.