Stories of your adoption experiences

my name is Doreen. There comes a point in your life when you realize "what life is about" and that God does have a plan for everyone and what an amazing feeling it is when that day come and that chapter in your life begins.. i was 38 and discovered i was ready to be a mom, we started the adoption process and waiting for a toddler girl, we recieved a calll that a 3 month old has been relingushed by her birthmother to an orphange and we were next in line... i saw Gabriela's face and knew .. We got caught up in the hauge but Gabriela Noel (14 months) fianlly came home Christmas day 2003. half way through her adoption the agency called and said the birthmother had another baby would we adopted her so the 2 siblings can be together, Anabella (14months) came home September 2004. 2 years later i knoew there was more to God's plan for me.. An infant girl , Matteya (8 months) came home on Thanksgiving day 2006. Then Jan 2007 , 2 months after Matteya came home, i received a call from about a 2 year old girl that was just relinguished from the birthmother because she could not take care of her anymore and wanted a better life for her, i saw Neyvadas face and i felt so deeply in my heart Gods plan at work again.. he had another child for me to share a new life with... Neyvada came home Sept. 2007. my husband and i adopted these 4 girls and they truely are Gods Blessing.... --Doreen Serio, Scottsdale, AZ (submitted on Jan. 16, 2008)

After we decided to build our family through adoption, we researched many programs around the world and found that Guatemala was right for us. For one, we had a personal connection to the country. More importantly, we learned that our child would be cared for by a foster family instead of in an orphanage. This is extremely important for a child's development and future ability to bond. We also liked the fact that the process was relatively short compared to other countries... not because we were impatient, but because the younger a child is when it comes home, the healthier he or she will be and more able to truly bond to his new family. Every expert agrees that Guatemala's current system of foster families and short programs is healthier for the children than other programs with orphanages and 1year/plus programs. Once we decided on Guatemala, we got to work on researching agencies. We worked very hard to find the most reputable agency so we could know that everything about our adoption was conducted in an ethical manner. How could we explain to our son, otherwise? Therefore, we rejected two agencies that seemed 'sketchy' to us and chose an agency that communicates with us and involves us in every aspect of the adoption. We brought our son home last week and he is extremely healthy, already bonding to us and happy as can be. I am happy with my experience and only wish that every child (orphan or not) around the world could be so lucky to live in the conditions my son has had for the last 7 months. He has a great chance at an excellent future, and the potential to help his homeland someday. --Anonymous , MI (submitted on Jan. 16, 2008)

I have 2 of the most beautiful sons in the world. One came home 2 weeks before Christmas and his adoption was picture perfect, taking exactly six months from start to finish. The other son is still in Guatemala and was kicked out of PGN again today for the THIRD time. His adoption has been a nightmare, taking over 18 months with no end in sight. In both cases the mothers did their parts. They gave up their babies willingly and they submitted their DNA for proof that the baby was not stolen. So what difference could possibly cause such a delay in one case when the other went so smoothly? The facilitator. One is efficient, honest and straight-forward. The other is a lazy, lying, cheaping and completely untrustworthy human being. She has lied to be from the very beginning and only seems to be able to tell the truth when I fly down to Guatemala demanding answers. She has attempted to extort money from me and tried to convince me to give up on my son and just pick another one. It seems that all the joy I've experienced with one son has been completely overshadowed by the pain of the other son's journey. I've never worked so hard for anything in my life, yet each step forward seems to be accompanied by another step back. --Donna Baslee, Bella Vista, AR (submitted on Jan. 16, 2008)

Our family was created by adopting two beautiful children from Guatemala. We have grown to love the counrty of Guatemala and pray for all of the poeple of it's land. Our son Justin Gonzalo was born November 27, 2003 and came home at 6 months on June 27, 2004. He is such a joy and I am so proud to be his mother. We decided expand our family and Gretchen Izara was born May 12, 2006. We brought her home when she was 7 months old. There is such a contriversary with Guatemalan adoptions but pray that there will be laws and guideline that are going to be enforced. There are many children that are waiting to be adopted and that is the best hope for these children to prosper in life. Sara and Brian Mildebrandt Ripon, WI --Sara Mildebrandt, Ripon, WI (submitted on Jan. 16, 2008)

My wife and I adopted our son from Guatemala in 2004 after several years of "secondary inferility." Our first child was born in 1992 without issue. We researched adoption and spoke to many in order to find an agency. That journey brought us to the Gladney Center for Adoption. By all accounts, our adoption journey was smooth sailing and without any glitches. The baby became our son once we accepted the referral and once he was placed in our arms, it only intensified. I rarely look at this beautiful child without remembering our connection to Guatemala and his birth family. We have the photo of my son with his birth mother that was required by the US Embassy framed in his room. I recognize that there is room for corruption in this process but am also concerned that the current changes are not in the best interest of the children waiting for homes. Something needs to be done to ensure that babies/children are given to adoption by the parent's free will and that every effort is made to protect the birth mother's rights as well as the rights of the baby. It should never be a case of "Babies for sale." I am an American by birth, Italian by heritage... but I feel more connected to Guatemala than I do to Italy. I thank God for bringing us to Guatemala, a country of beautiful people and beautiful landscapes and I pray that international adoption from Guatemala to the U.S. will be a reality again soon. --Anonymous , Westbury, NY (submitted on Jan. 16, 2008)

After going through the heartache of finding out we would never have biological children, our hearts were healed when we adopted our baby girl, Emilia, from Guatemala, almost 3 years ago. People always say how lucky she is to have been taken out of a poverty stricken country and given a chance at life. I always correct them and say no, we are the ones who are lucky. We can't imagine any child, biological or adopted, who is a better fit for my husband and I. It saddens me to see all the negative portrayal of Guatemalan adoptions. There is corruption in any system but I believe there are so many more ethical, good faith adoptions than not. I am positive our daughter's birthmother placed her for adoption because she knew she could not care for her, not because she was coerced to do so. She doesn't speak Spanish, only a Mayan dialect, therefore it is impossible for her to get an education. She works as a housekeeper and had two other children before our daughter. She is single and she left Emilia's birthfather because he abused her. I know she loved our daughter and wanted her to have the life she couldn't give her and for that I will be forever grateful. Emilia will always know her Guatemalan heritage and I am so proud of the culture and country she was born in and it is my greatest hope that she will be too. It breaks my heart to think of the birthmothers and their babies who now do not have the option of adoption. Emilia is now a healthy happy 3-year-old who is thriving in the U.S.A. where she will have every opportunity imaginable, an education, and no limitations. --Heidi Brown, Coolidge, AZ (submitted on Jan. 16, 2008)

I heard about your Guatemalan adoption piece on Guatadopt.com and just wanted to praise you for airing this important topic. Our son's facilitator was the same one that recently was arrested for smuggling a child into the country and the agency used in that case was the same as ours also. Our story began Jan. 19, 2006 when we were referred our son. We picked him off the agency photolisting due in part to the director informing us that waiting children had faster processing times since the child's paperwork was complete and all that was left to do was the parents, which we later found out was a lie. We were told that due to this reasoning we should have our son home by July. In our case the lying was done by the agency and the facilitators and attorneys actually did a good job. I was also told we could visit our son at any time during the process. One week later I emailed our travel itenerary to the agency for our visit Easter weekend. I was told we would be met by the interpreter and the foster mom with the baby at the hotel upon arrival. Long story short there was nobody to meet us and the very people we were told would meet us upon finally contacting them were not even assigned to our case. After 8 hours of tears, lies, name changes, and international phone calls we finally met our son and got to spend the weekend with him as planned. The attorney brought him and informed us he was not aware were coming. Throughtout the process we were told more lies by the agency, but ultimately got to bring our son home for good Sept. 20, 2006. I would love to share the details of our story, but there's not enough room to do so. I was shocked to learn that this facilitator has such a bad reputation in the adoption community because in our case had her and the attorneys not done their job and been so knowledgable we would not have our son today. It upsets me to know that such shady practices are being done and children are being traded like puppies. I hate to think that families might not be complete and children will be stuck over there and not have a chance at a better life, but if temporarily closing the process is what it takes then so be it because something has to change. It's WRONG what's going on. We are so grateful that we still brought our baby home safe and healthy in spite of what kind of practices were going on. I could not imagine our life without him. I take every opportunity I can to inform people about this agency so they can avoid the same or worse situation that happened to us. I will be glad to share further details of our story if wanted. --Alison McCall-Lassiter, Stedman, NC (submitted on Jan. 16, 2008)

We adopted our daughter from Guatemala in September 2007. Every day I feel lucky to have completed this adoption prior to the halt of adoption just a few months after we completed our process. The story of our daughter begins in a small village 45 miles east of Guatemala City, Guatemala. Our daughter was born to a unwed, 18 year old girl who had not attended school one day in her life. My daughter was conceived in what was described as "an informal relationship" with no mention of the "father". My daughter's biological mother was raising her six siblings, while her mother worked as a laborer ironing clothing. She gave up her daughter out of love and respect and realization that given her socioeconomic status and lack of education, this little girl may have better opportunities through adoption. I can tell you corruption in Guatemalan adoption is the exception, rather than the norm. These peopel are loving, warm, caring people who have the highest regard for their family. Poverty is a reality to these people, and giving their children up for adoption is a act of love knowing their children may have a chance for education and prosperity in the United States. --Anonymous , Geneva, IL (submitted on Jan. 16, 2008)

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