We Are So Thrilled! - Walsh Family
We are so thrilled to have added Christian to our family, and we have Adoption Ark to thank for it!
After a difficult first pregnancy, it was more than 6 years before we would even discuss having another child. Our commitment to adoption continued to grow.
My husband and I are careful people, and we spoke to many people about many agencies before settling on Adoption Ark. Despite never meeting a US Adoption Ark representative in person, we knew our pairing with Ally was a good fit and that the son destined to call us parents would be at the end of the journey. After an “impossibly long” (6 weeks) we made plans for a December trip.
As our coordinator said from the onset, our trip was destined to be an adventure. One plane flat tire, one impossibly long traffic jam, one missed flight, and one extra hotel stay on the other side of the world later, We were introduced to the charming 11-month old who became our son! In country, we had a great adventure trying new foods, buying souvenirs, and taking in the aura of all things Russian adoption process moved though the Russian system as quickly as possible.
After waiting through the holidays and the unfortunate illness of critical staff and judges in the region, we finalized our adoption in court April 9, 2007. Of note, when we returned to Moscow to obtain our son’s exit Visa, there were 19 adoptive families at the US embassy waiting for the appropriate paperwork. But unlike other agencies, Adoption Ark had dotted their “i’s” and crossed their “t’s” and we were one of only 2 families able to get our visa and return to the US that day. It is overwhelmingly apparent that the agency has developed systems to streamline processes, build relationships with key contacts in the countries, and responded to feedback from other families on how to improve adoption.
We can’t express how surprisingly pleasant the entire experience was for us. Every day of our lives we have ups and downs, incontinences to surmount, and frustrations to sort through. The adoption process is no different. But it sure was great to know Adoption Ark was fighting the battles for you! Thanks to all the members of the team who worked to bring little Christian into our lives!
Sincerely,
Stephen, Danielle, Kamryn, and Christian