[bmrbc]

Hello everyone.

My husband and I have decided to adopt two little girls internationally. I have read alot of posts from this forum. I still have alot of questions though, as I am sure many people who are just beginning this process have.

We think we have narrowed it down to three countries, Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. There seem to be good and bad things about all of them.

If there are some people out there who have been through the adoption process in these countries before, I am sure you can help us out alot in our decision. We also need to decide on an agency.

Here is what we are looking for:

We want to adopt two girls under 5 years old (we already have two biological boys who are 5 and 10) we would like them to be siblings if possible, but if there are none available we would not mind having unrelated children.

We would like to make only one trip. I understand this is still possible in some regions of Russia. I can't seem to figure out which ones though.

I have read that getting girls from these countries is harder than boys for some reason. Does anyone know how much longer the wait would be?

Well that is all I can think of now. Any information on this would be very helpful in helping us make our decision. We have been praying about it and feel that God will lead us to the right country, agency and children, maybe through this forum.

Thanks so much,

Michelle

[Delmom]

Michelle,

Welcome! This board is full of great info. Unfortunately, there are no definite answers to your questions. And because of the nature of this process even if I had definite answers it can all change overnight.

In Kazakhstan it is not illegal to adopt unrelated children(although you may read posts that say otherwise). Most regions however do not allow this practice. The region we adopted from does, but it is the only one I know of.

So that would make selecting an agency that is well-respected in Kaz even more crucial for you. You would need an agency that works in many regions and has good relationships with many orphanages.

Regarding the additional wait for girls...It won't matter which agency you choose it will be longer. But HOW much longer is absolutely dependent on the agency. They should be able to give you a ballpark of the waiting time when you call. Some agencies may give a longer time to protect themselves and some agencies may give a shorter time to make themselves sound better.

This is a case where I would definitely ask for references. Our agency is really free with those and we were given the names of many people to call. Ask the families how long they waited.

In all three countries, I believe making it in one trip is dependent on the appeal period being waived. This is becoming more and more rare. With Kaz we were there just a little less than 6 weeks. However, I have heard of people being there even longer. Unfortunately, the long country stay makes some families say "no" to Kazakhstan.

I can only tell you from my experience. My son received excellent care in the orphanage. It was well-run and clean. He received good nutrition and medical care. His caregivers were precious (Even the one that said I was feeding him wrong, until our interpreter told her I had a 7 yr old at home).

I am not sure where God will lead you and I'll pray that He'll give you the wisdom to know His will. We had a long hard process, but we didn't give up. Now we can look back with understanding. He led us exactly to our son. It just took 18 months, 2 countries, and 2 agencies to get there.

Delmom
Son (born 11/03)
(adopted from Kazakhstan 07/04)