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I was what I would call a photolistingaholic. I had dreamed of adopting for years and had managed to convince my husband to get a domestic homestudy done. We have three bio daughters and I felt that a son would make the family complete.
Our domestic homestudy was completed in December 2004. I found Elijah in Jan 2005 the day he had been posted with a non-profit that gives grants to "hard to place" children. I was totally ignorant to good agency/bad agencies and lucked into a great agency. They were miraculously willing to work with us even though we had nothing but the domestic homestudy. (I am sure my pathetic pleading helped a little.)
I then sent photos of Elijah to the BCIS office with a passionate cover letter explaining that we had found our son and he wasn't in the US and could they please put a little rush into it as he was already 17 months old. Miraculously they did and I gathered documents like a house on fire.
Elijah came home a week before he turned two in Sept. 2005 and I can't believe how lucky I am. My husband and children thank me constantly (literally) for finding Elijah and completing our family. We have had a total storybook happy ending.
I look at him often and give thanks that he is here with us. He is so incredibly bright and determined (which sometimes translates into pigheaded) and I think about what his life would have been like had he stayed with is birthmother. It saddens me that he will never know her but I know he will have an easier and arguably better life here.
Good wishes to all of you still in process to bring your children home. I remember well saying good night to him every night when he was miles and miles away and praying for the night he would be sleeping down the hall.
Tiersa
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