Our Adoption
We are very grateful for A Child Waits Foundation. Without your help, we would not have been able to bring our little angel home.
AJ is a very healthy boy. He is a hearty eater and loves fresh vegetables and fruit. Right now he's in the 50% in the growth chart and our pediatrician said he's doing very well.
When we first met AJ, it was love at first sight for us. Words just can't describe the feeling of that moment. A lot of people told us before we left that we would know it when we saw the child meant for us. We didn't believe it until that moment. Don later told me that I had this silly smile on my face from the moment AJ walked into the room. I didn't even listen to what the director had to tell us about AJ's medical history. It was just not important any more.
Don always said AJ chose us as much as we chose him. AJ was very shy when he first met us. He started crying when the caregiver tried to put him on Don's lap. But with the help of a cookie, he warmed up to us very quickly. Later we were told that several couples had looked at him before us but AJ had never warmed up to any of them. The caregiver was surprised that he stopped crying so soon this time.
The Baby House in Kazakhstan has limited space but was nicely decorated, very clean and organized. The room our son was in was very bright and charming. There were toys on the shelf for the children to play with. We think that the children there were very well cared for.
Our trip to Kazakhstan was quite different than we thought. Almaty is quite modern. We were able to find almost everything we have here in the grocery stores. The staff in our hotel was very friendly.
A funny thing that happened while there, I am Chinese, so I guess I look like local in a lot of people's eyes there. One day Don and I went out for dinner. After we sat down, the waiter brought us menus. I opened mine and looked and looked and finally gave up and asked Don "How come I can't understand the menu?" Don took a look and said: "Because it's Russian!" It turned out that the waiter thought I was Don's interpreter!
When I went back to Almaty on the 2nd trip to pick up AJ, we had breakfast everyday in the Hotel. The restaurant manager in the hotel we stayed in was a very nice lady. She had a highchair reserved for AJ every day we were there. She didn't speak much English, but she would always come to our table to say hi, especially to AJ. When she learned that I was from US and AJ was adopted. She started speaking Russian to AJ and then all of a sudden, she looked at me and said: "American, good."
AJ fits right in our family like he has always been part of it. Sometimes I have a hard time remembering how life was before he came into our family. It feels like a lifetime ago when we visited him at the Baby House. AJ was born for us. As Chinese say, there is a red thread connecting him and Don and me. No matter how far away we are from each other, this red thread will bring us together sooner or later.
Thing couldn't be any better! AJ's blossoming. He has
changed so much within so short a time. He's very affectionate, intelligent
and active. He loves to hug and kiss. I love watching him wrestling with his
daddy, talking to the cats, and pushing his toy cars around the house. All in
all, life is good.
