The Journey - Part 5

(If you are just joining in, click here to start with Part 1 of our journey.)

We took a few days to digest what had just happened, to let the fact that Nadia was not going to be our daughter sink in.

What to do now? Which direction do we go? This agency that we were with was not one that we would have chosen, had we not found Nadia first. Once we did, we had no choice but to use that agency but the mixed reviews were unsettling to me. If we were going to change agencies this would be the time to do it.

I felt deep in my heart that we still needed to move forward. I believed without a doubt that we still had a daughter waiting for us in Russia. But we had just lost the only child that would move Pat's heart towards adoption, and I wasn't sure he would be willing to continue.

I had made a new friend that facilitated independent adoptions from Russia and had even adopted two children from the same area that Nadia was in. Pat and I discussed leaving our agency and he told me that we could do whatever I felt most comfortable with. We met with my friend and her husband and decided to make the switch.

I had the necessary changes made to the paperwork that we had already completed and finished up the few remaining forms. On April 2, 2005 we received an email with a new referral. I anxiously waited for my husband to get home so we could open it together.

Here is the information we received:

"Anastasia, date of birth is January 29, 2003. She's been in the baby
home since June 2, 2003.

She was abandoned by her mother at birth. She was not able to keep her
due to poor financial conditions.

At birth the weight is 2500 gr., height is 47 cm., head is 31cm.,
chest is 30 cm., it was the mother's 4th pregnancy and the second
delivery. it was a 40 week gestation.

Apgar scores were 7 and 8. July 6, 2004 her weight was 8600
gr., height was 73 cm., She has umbilical hernia (it does not require any
surgery), delay in speech, mental and motor skill development
(positive progress is development is noted). She is aware of the
strangers. She plays well, but attention can still be short. She knows
her name and she responds to it. She eats from the spoon. She has good
apetite."







In silence we read the email and study at her picture. I am holding my breath wondering what Pat is going to say.



When I finally turn my head so that I can see him, Pat is looking at me. He takes a deep breath, gives me a half smile and says "Well, I guess we should go meet the little monkey, don't you think?"

I am a little bit hesitant, only because I am still dealing with the loss of Nadia. But I agree with him, we need to go meet her.

We quickly made plans to join another family that was traveling for their court date. We wouldn't have to wait long to meet her because we would be leaving in only 13 days! We would be flying out on April 15th, 2005.

To be continued...