Chia Pet Family

August was a month of chaos and excitement. We completed our homestudy in 2 meetings (one lasting 7 hours long and the other lasting only 3) and our dossier was on it's way to Russia within a week of our referral phone call. Because AGCI is in Oregon, we used Bethany Christian Services to do our home study and post placement follow up visits. We worked in the boys' room getting it ready for furniture and toys and I finally got to do what I had been dreaming of doing for years... I got to register at Babies R Us!!!! But we did ask that a shower not be thrown until we were home with the boys. I couldn't bear to walk into a room that was decorated if something happened and our adoption fell through.



We left for Russia in September and met our little ones for the first time in the orphanage director's office. It was amazing to say the least.... we clicked with them right away, we left a photo album of our family and our pets, our house, etc. to help them recognize us when we came back to get them and I think it helped believe it or not. We went back in October to get them and LOVED being parents to two little guys. Steve was in all his glory because he had 2 sons. I was a little overwhelmed because I now had 3 sons (ages, 26, 2 and 1). Everything was smooth sailing and we could feel the prayers of those at home who were waiting to meet them. Even our 10 hour flight from Moscow, Russia to JFK airport in New York was uneventful and calm. The flight attendants couldn't believe that we were new parents because the boys were so well behaved. There were other parents walking their screaming children up and down the isles of the plane. Ethan and Andrew just sat in their seats or on our laps and enjoyed their cherrios and bag of busy toys.

Getting off the plane went smoothly too as well as going through INS (Immigration and Naturalization Services). They said to expect a 2 hour process of going through INS once we cleared customs but we were literally in and out in about 20 minutes. Then it was time to introduce the boys to the family who was anxiously waiting for us just beyond the door......

Words can not describe the feeling of seeing your parents cry tears of joy. I felt a tad guilty because I knew that had we not brought Ethan and Andrew through those doors, they would have never been crying but then again, I think we did the right thing by letting them shed some tears of happiness and relief. Steve and I were happy to hand the boys over to waiting arms. It was hard being new to this whole parenting thing and not be able to have your mom stop by with dinner because you're on the other side of the world. When the boys met our families, it was definitely love at first sight.