Chapter Three...Our Adoption Story

The waiting can seem daunting. Then when you least expect it...the phone rings.

-Beachbrights

Chapter Three is about the waiting being over and the beginning of a tough lesson in Russian medical. May 21, 2004...(Written by Byron) Christy and I have been in Dallas since Friday, May 14th visiting family. We drove up to Oklahoma City, for a brief visit with Christy's Grandfather (JaJa) and others on her father's side of the family. We are now back in Dallas and I am taking the opportunity to go visit with Barry (Christy's stepdad) and his company CAAP. I am considering leaving the Air Force in a year, so I wanted to talk with some of the young guys at CAAP and get their take on the corporate world. Anyway, as life would have it, Christy and I were on our way to Plano, TX to spend the day with my family and the last thing on our mind was the adoption. Of course isn't that when it always hits you...when you least expect it? We got a call from Christy Malone at Commonwealth Adoptions and she said we had a referral. She explained the referral to be a 7 month old baby boy with black hair and green eyes. His name was Albert. We were so excited we had to pull over and stop the car to catch our breath. We couldn't believe it was true. We rushed to my mom's house to download the picture. He was beautiful...

The info we received was very minimal. Basically it was this picture (faxed and then emailed) and a little info about his family. There were several sentences about his health and it was all Russian medical terminology that didn't mean much to us. Our agency wrote a letter to the Ministry of Education in Russia requesting more details. We spent the day on the phone with international pediatricians getting their advice. We used Dr. Jenista and Dr. Aronson. Since there are a few health concerns this is definitely not a sure thing, so we have to stay guarded. We have had so many ups and downs, but this feels positive...

May 24, 2004... We received the full medical file on Albert today. It helped answer some questions we were worried about but there are still some things unanswered.

May 25, 2004... We have been on the phone with our Agency and both doctors trying to get as much information as possible. The good news is that we got some color pictures and Albert looks very healthy. Dr. Jenista called this afternoon and reviewed the medical file with us. There are a few risk factors to worry about and Albert has had a tough life so far, but overall he is doing well. We have decided that we want to commit to this child. We called CAI and said we are ready to accept Albert. We know that this could not work out, but we are already getting very excited. I think God means for us to be together... By the way, we were looking in a baby name book tonight and found out that Albert means BRIGHT. It was meant to be...

May 27, 2004... We sent a letter last night to Russia requesting our travel dates. It will take a few days to get a response. We probably won't hear anything until after Memorial Day. We are hoping to leave within 3 weeks, but we just have to wait and find out. We don't know yet if we can do the trip to Russia in one or two trips. If it is one trip, then we will probably be gone for about 4 weeks. If it is two trips, then each trip will be about 10 days with 4 to 5 weeks in between trips.

Chapter 4...we are off to Russia.

When I look back on this journal, I think to myself..."Nothing is as it seems." I still don't understand why Byron and I had to experience this part of the adoption. However, I do believe that in time, God's plan will be revealed to us. Our true test of faith was still to come...

XOXO-

To read from the beginning...click here.

(I will try to post each chapter of our adoption story every friday during the Hooked on Fridays blog party, celebrating things that make us happy. Because ultimately this story makes me happy and has helped define who I am today.)