Our journey started in late winter/early spring of 2006 when my husband Nathan and I began seriously talking about adoption. We started doing tons of research online, reading books, and talking to others who have adopted. We settled on Kazakhstan as the country. Next we had to choose the agency. So after even more research, (yeah, I had a lot of headaches back then!…LOL), we chose Adoption Ark based on their excellent reputation, great references, and our early dealings with them. It is a decision we have not regretted once. We would, without hesitation, use Adoption Ark again and would highly recommend them to anyone considering adoption.
We were assigned to Alla. We cannot say enough good things about this woman. During the whole pre-travel phase, Alla was VERY easy to contact by phone or email and always replied promptly and thoroughly. Her directions were very precise and her time frames were dead on. Once in Kazakhstan, her support continued with emails and even phone calls despite the 13 hour time difference between California and Kaz! She had to stay up late to call us and I’m sure her phone bills were NOT cheap!! And during the inevitable and infamous delays we encountered while in country, Alla was even more available, always answering emails and giving us the best, most accurate information she could. She works so hard for her families. You can really tell her heart is in her work and that is a blessing to the families she works with.
The in-country coordinators were also awesome and we could tell they were very well respected in the country. We felt very comfortable with them. They were honest with us and easy to contact. We were also not asked to pay a dime over what was in AA’s contract. We even overpaid our regional coordinator several hundred dollars by mistake and would’ve never known about it. But she told us we had overpaid her and refunded us the money immediately. I think that it says a lot about an agency when the coordinators they use are so honest and up front.
Now on to the best part…our beautiful new daughter Camille! We first met her back in February 2007. She was so tiny, only 12 lbs at 9 months old. Those first few weeks while visiting her in the orphanage, she really got comfortable with us and blended into our family SO perfectly. We were able to take her out of the orphanage on March 7. She transitioned so easily and was SUCH a trooper during those final few weeks in Kazakhstan and on the long flights home to California.
We have been home now for 6 weeks and she is doing amazingly well!!! You would never know she was so tiny just a couple of months ago because now she weighs a whopping 22 lbs 12 oz! This girl can EAT. She is making great progress in her motor skills as well. It’s so true that these kids can overcome the hardships they experienced early on and catch up quickly. Her sweet personality is completely blossoming as well and she is a true joy in our lives. It makes us so happy to see her happy and to see her and our older daughter, Gianna, playing together. Everywhere we go, people tell us how beautiful she is and how happy she looks. We have been blessed and honored beyond words to have had the opportunity to make this precious little girl a part of our family. We look forward to many, many years of fun and happiness together.
Thank you Alla and Adoption Ark for all your hard work and efforts in helping our family come together! We will always be grateful.
Lindsey and Nathan Burrors