News and Changes

Welcome all our friends and family to our new Adoption blog.

Why the change, you ask? Well, there's big news in the past week. Officially as of Friday, June 12th we have made a big change. We have pulled out of the Russian international adoption program with LSS and entered into the Domestic Minority program.

This decision did not come easily to us, nor was it an impulsive change. We did a lot of soul-searching, and had some very frank conversations with each other, and realized that this was the best thing for us. There were several factors that prompted the move. Partly it was apprehension about flying halfway around the world three different times, for weeks at a time. Partly it was the instability and uncertainty coming out of the Russian Ministry of Education lately. But most of all, it was the realization that we had other options, and that by going with a Domestic adoption we might have to wait a bit longer, but we'd be better off in the long run. The difference in cost between Russia and here in Wisconsin is enough to cover a down-payment on a home for us and our child. Even if that doesn't happen right away, it's still more money that could be put towards improving our overall lives. What it really came down to is that if we adopted from Russia we could have the family we want, but if we adopt domestically we can have the entire life that we've pictured for ourselves.

It's not just about the money, however. Everyone has been so generous in that regards, that we were well on our way towards funding the Russian adventure. There are other benefits to going domestically too. We won't have to spend all of our leave just getting the child, leaving us more time to spend with him or her right away before we have to go back to work. By going domestically we are much, much more likely to get an infant than a toddler, and our child will be less likely to have developmental or physical issues than an international adoption.

We are extremely excited about this new undertaking, and have no regrets at all. We've realized what it is we truly want, and have found the best way for us to get that. We hope you all will be as excited about this as we are, and we look forward to keeping you all informed on the journey.