Monday, October 6, 2008

Our Journey to Parenthood

Our journey to parenthood began 5 years ago when we began the process to adopt our son from Russia. It was an amazing and memorable experience - one which we won't ever forget!

We met our youngest son, Jackson, 4 years ago in a little orphanage outside of Moscow, Russia. The day that we've waited for our entire lives finally changed in the blink of an eye. Here we were, in a foreign country, surrounded by orphanage staff and our translator, when we heard, "clunk, clunk, clunk" coming down the long hallway. In walks this little boy, with his eyes covered. He was the most beautiful child I had ever seen - and we knew that God had finally blessed us with our little miracle. Our translator whisked him up into her arms, showed him a mirror and whispered sweet Russian words to him. Then, slowly, his little hands came down from his eyes and revealed the most beautiful brown eyes ever! Our translator looked at him and then said, "Meet Mama." and handed him to me. I'll never forget it.

Jackson officially became a member of our family a few short weeks later - and, well the rest has been history. He is the sweetest little boy who has touched so many lives. I've learned over the past 4 years that my role as Jackson's mother is to educate others about the joys of international adoption. It has also become my personal mission to advocate for my son - whether it's in a new daycare setting, Sunday School or the school system. I'm hoping that this sight is helpful to other parents as they look for resources for their children.

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