Seems like people have a lot of questions about our adoption. I'll try to answer a few.
Why adopt?
Adoption is something that has always been on our hearts. I (Holly) was adopted as an infant. We've wanted to add to our family and felt that adoption was the right way to go.
Why China?
The country of China was put into our minds years and years ago. Even with the extended wait times for children from China we never even considered adopting from another country. We have a niece, Iris, who was also adopted from China. Won't it be great for our daughter to have a Chinese cousin? Iris is already praying for her new Chinese cousin. Seems to mean a lot to her too.
Why a child with a birth defect?
Birth defects are nothing new to us. Our first born daughter, Rachel, was born with a congenital heart defect. What a blessing she was to us. I know that we can give a loving caring home to a child with a birth defect.
We filled out a medical conditions check list for our adoption agency. We checked cleft lip and cleft palate, club foot, partial or missing fingers, or hand, etc. We didn't know what child we would be matched with.
On February 10, 2010 I was sitting on the couch having a conversation with my son, Jayden, about "the little girl" we were adopting from China. He had heard someone on TV say the name Rachel. Then he said to me, "Rachel is my sister's name. When we get the little girl can we name her Rachel?" I told him no, Mommy and Daddy already had a little girl named Rachel so we would have to come up with another name. Then he started telling me different names. No sooner did the phone ring and it was our adoption agency telling me they had a possible match for us. That was a sign from God right there that this was the right girl for us.
Isn't adoption expensive?
Yes, it is expensive, but there is an adoption tax credit and we will get a large amount of the money we paid back.
Do you have to travel to China?
Yes, we will travel to China to pick up Grace. It will be about a 2 week trip.
Will you take the boys with you?
Yes, we will take Joshua and Jayden with us. We think it will be an amazing family and cultural experience. Jayden has never been on a plane, so that should be interesting. He's also a very picky eater. We may have to pack one entire suitcase with food for him.
When do you go?
We don't know yet. It will probably be at least 5 months, but pray it will be sooner. Looks like Joshua will get to miss 2 weeks of school next year.
