A moment
Many people we know who have already adopted talked about this moment they had where they "just knew". Whether it was about a specific child, where to adopt from or even the agency, they all described this moment they had where things were very clear and they become certain about something. Lenski and I had not experienced that. We were not concerned about it but rather curious.
The meeting
We had already chosen which agency we wanted to go with so we decided to go to one of their informational meetings. We were so excited that we got there super early and were the first ones. That was great for us because we had the undivided attention of the staff. We told them all about our plans and asked lots of questions. The meeting was actually a two part presentation they told us. The first part was about adopting domestically and the second was about international adoption. Since we were certain about adopting domestically they said that we could just leave during the intermission if we wanted to. Then they gave us the packet of information about domestic adoption. We gladly took it and were ready to dive into it when they hesitantly said, "And here's the international packet. Would you like to just take it to look at?" Not wanting to be rude we took it and sat down. We said, "Sure, it couldn't hurt to look at it." We had no idea what we had just done.
The meeting hadn't started yet and we decided to flip through the international packet since we had already devoured the domestic one. In the folder was information on the three countries they work with; China, Ethiopia and Russia. When we saw the Russia information it was as though pieces of a puzzle began to fall into place. Here's what I mean:
- Lenski got his name because his mother was reading a Russian novel.
- We already have a Russian girl's name picked out.
- Lenski is obsessed with Russian names. (Ask him about Mariska Hargitay)
- That day in class (prior to the meeting) Lenski told his classmates that he thought Russian was the most beautiful language.
- Lenski used to know the Russian national anthem.
- My name is also Russian.
- When we talk about where we'd love to travel Lenski's #1 spot is Russia.
These are just some small pieces. The big ones were happening in our hearts. We both got so excited that we could hardly pay attention to the lady who had begun the presentation on domestic adoption. We kept whispering back and forth and asking each other how we'd feel about going with Russia instead. Lenski looked like a little puppy whose owner had just come home. You know what that looks like right? The puppy gets so excited that they may even pee a little because they're so happy. That was Lenski. I thought he was going to jump up and down and start clapping but thankfully the room full of people seemed to restrain him.
So we decided to stay and listen to the international presentation. We could hardly wait. The intermission took forever and then she started. But she started with China. So we tried to stay calm and composed. Then she went on to Ethiopia and I thought I was going stand up and scream like a dictator for her to tell me about Russia this instant. Thankfully, I didn't.
Finally Russia
When the lady began to talk about Russia we both became relaxed and more excited at the same time. If that's even possible. I was taking notes and couldn't write fast enough. I knew it was all in the packet but I somehow thought that writing it would make it more real or happen faster. Oh the things we think when we're excited. She began to tell us that there are three types of Russian children you could adopt. This was a surprise to us. She said that because of Russia's location some children will look Chinese. Others will look caucasian. As she's saying this she refers to pictures that are on the wall which I had not noticed. They were pictures of children who had already been adopted. The last one she mentioned was Roma which are gypsies. When she pointed us to the picture of a Roma girl my heart stopped...
The Dream
To understand why my heart stopped I have to take you back to Christmas morning. I woke up early in the am on Christmas morning because I had a very powerful dream. I dreamed that I was walking through a place that seemed like a hospital and was holding a child in my arms. I was not in a hospital gown and the child wasn't looking at me. When I looked down at the child she turned to look at me. She was, in fact, not an infant. She was a toddler. She had olive toned skin, dark hair with the bangs cut across her forehead and lots of teeth. I noticed the teeth because she smiled at me.
There's more to the dream but that's for another day. Let's stick with this part for right now.
Back to the meeting
When the lady pointed us to the picture of a Roma Russian girl my heart stopped because it was the girl from my dream. She had olive toned skin, the same big eyes, the same full set of teeth and her hair was also exactly the same. Bangs cut across her forehead. Now remember that this girl has already been adopted but I couldn't help but feel like God was nudging me in this direction. I slapped Lenski and said, "That's the girl from my dream!" Lenski of course replied, "What dream?" even though he had to spend part of Christmas morning consoling me because of the dream. I quickly reminded him and we both just didn't know what to say.
After the meeting
We hopped in our car after the meeting was over and there was only silence. Lenski decided he would try and figure out how to converse about what we just experienced. He wanted to be fair so he asked me what I thought about the domestic presentation. I just looked at him and said, "I have no idea what she even said." The truth was that we both tried to listen but couldn't because our hearts had been turned to Russia and we could think of nothing else. We still wanted to make sure that we weren't just experiencing some weird adoption high so we said we'd give it some time and prayer. What happened was that our excitement for Russia only grew as the days passed. We couldn't stop talking about it. We finally realized...we had our moment. The meeting was it. Everything was clear and we felt certain. We want to adopt from Russia.
