We Are The Truth - Adoption Blogger Day

Today, families across our country are blogging about their successful adoption stories. We want the world to know that, unlike the recent, highly-publicized incident, adoption works. While adoption, and certainly international adoption, isn't an easy road, it is a process that should still be available for children and families.

Our family is complete through adoption -- this is our TRUTH!

Funny, this blog was created to document our adoption journey. I'd never really considered blogging until, well into our adoption process, I stumbled upon words from others like us...waiting for Vietnamese children. My family story is contained in my archives, with the highlight being our trip to Vietnam in December 2007.

While I can't define the moment we decided to adopt and I can't really even explain how we ended up being drawn to Vietnam, I can tell you that those choices have brought undefinable love and happiness to our lives. We'd been blessed with one biological child and realized that another pregnancy just wasn't in the cards for us. But, as is often the case, we weren't done.

We were drawn to a daughter.

We were drawn to Vietnam.

And, she was there...
(Adoption Referral Photo-the first time we saw her face.)

I remember the panic and nervousness like it was yesterday. What if she doesn't like us? What if she isn't happy? And, my (secret) biggest concern...what if I don't love her as much as the boy? I mean, what if "adoptive love" is really different, really not the same as "biological love". Intellectually, I believed it to be the same, equal...just as powerful, but inside, I was scared. I'd heard others profess that your children are your children, no matter how they come to your family. And, I wanted desperately to believe it because I just couldn't live with myself if I loved "one" more than "the other." It was my silent battle for months.

I can't begin to explain it, but the moment her picture arrived in my inbox, I knew. I knew, for sure, 1000 percent. This.was.our.daughter. This marvel of hair, this teeny-tiny being across the ocean was..."us". It is terribly cliche' and corny, but...we were meant to be. I believe that. I KNOW that.


(His connection to Her was immediate. They were drawn to each other in an instant.)

And now, I don't remember the emotion of waiting. I don't remember the longing for her. For just like labor and delivery with the boy, I've forgotten the bad parts. (Although I'm sure those archives contain a fair amount of whining ;-). Our lives are not perfect, we've had our issues; but we are complete and that is OUR TRUTH.


(Message in orphanage book, Christmas Eve 2007)

We were drawn to a daughter.

We were drawn to Vietnam.

And, now, she is here.