We are staying in the small village of Mnyenzeni, Kenya, while we wait to adopt a tiny little girl. The road to Kenya was a long one, and I am not referring just to the physical distance to embark half-way around the world from Washington State.
After five years of trying and tens of thousands of dollars in fertility treatments, Jonathan and I decided to focus our energy and resources on an international adoption instead. It was a difficult decision. As much as I wanted a baby, created from my own flesh, a miniature form of Jonathan and me, my dream in the end was to just have a baby, period. I knew that we could love that child more than life itself, regardless of where he or she was born or to whom.
But the adoption process was full of obstacles in and of itself. The legal forms were extensive, and every step seemed to take an eternity to go through.
Finally, a door seemed to open before us when we met Haji, an adoption specialist who was formerly from Kenya. He suggested that we look into a Kenyan adoption, as he had several contacts from the area.
We were sitting in the hard green chairs across from Haji’s desk when I saw a picture of Aminah for the first time. My heart melted when I looked into her immense brown eyes. I knew that there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do to have that little girl in my arms.
Thanks to Haji’s expertise, the initial process of applications and paperwork only took a few months. We have been living here for the past few months, awaiting her birth. Even though we know that our time here in Kenya is not at an end, at least we will have with us the precious child we came searching for. Thank goodness for Jonathan’s job, which allows him to work from anywhere in the world. Finally we are going to meet our daughter for the first time. She will be in my arms today.
As I leave the concrete form of my shower stall, I feel a sense of renewal. Not only am I clean and refreshed, but I feel a sense of awakening, like nothing is ever going to be the same again. Today I will become a mother, Jonathan a father, all of us a family.
Be sure to check back tomorrow as the newest addition is added to their family!
After five years of trying and tens of thousands of dollars in fertility treatments, Jonathan and I decided to focus our energy and resources on an international adoption instead. It was a difficult decision. As much as I wanted a baby, created from my own flesh, a miniature form of Jonathan and me, my dream in the end was to just have a baby, period. I knew that we could love that child more than life itself, regardless of where he or she was born or to whom.
But the adoption process was full of obstacles in and of itself. The legal forms were extensive, and every step seemed to take an eternity to go through.
Finally, a door seemed to open before us when we met Haji, an adoption specialist who was formerly from Kenya. He suggested that we look into a Kenyan adoption, as he had several contacts from the area.
We were sitting in the hard green chairs across from Haji’s desk when I saw a picture of Aminah for the first time. My heart melted when I looked into her immense brown eyes. I knew that there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do to have that little girl in my arms.
Thanks to Haji’s expertise, the initial process of applications and paperwork only took a few months. We have been living here for the past few months, awaiting her birth. Even though we know that our time here in Kenya is not at an end, at least we will have with us the precious child we came searching for. Thank goodness for Jonathan’s job, which allows him to work from anywhere in the world. Finally we are going to meet our daughter for the first time. She will be in my arms today.
As I leave the concrete form of my shower stall, I feel a sense of renewal. Not only am I clean and refreshed, but I feel a sense of awakening, like nothing is ever going to be the same again. Today I will become a mother, Jonathan a father, all of us a family.
Be sure to check back tomorrow as the newest addition is added to their family!
