Ever since Bruce and I met and married three years later, we discussed our mutual desire for a daughter. Bruce, of course, loved
his son, Chris, and I soon grew to love the brown-eyed, dimpled, shiny haired
youngster. Chris was eight when Bruce and I married. Several years passed, spring rolled around once again, and still Bruce and I dreamed of a daughter to nurture. We had both heard of international adoptions, but the process seemed so elusive. Where does one begin? After floundering a bit I contacted a friend who was employed by the S.C. Department of Social Services. She put me in touch with the adoption agency licensing area, and who should come highly recommended but WORLDWIDE Adoption Services, Inc. After talking to Peggy Ewing and much questioning and soul searching, we committed to WORLDWIDE and began gathering the many documents and completing what seemed like endless paperwork that would go to make up our dossier. Russia seemed to be the most suitable country on which to focus our efforts for that special toddler girl, we hoped would be in our arms by year-end. Bruce and I told Chris and our families of our plans. All were delighted. Then the wait began. We were about as anxious a couple as one could imagine.
On Good Friday we just happened to call
WORLDWIDE (I
tried to only allow myself one call per month to bug Peggy) to inquire about the
latest status of our search. Peggy said she had a video of a 2-1/2 year old
prospect from Moscow, who needed a home badly. Bruce and I considered her age a
little beyond the upper age limit that we had set for our new daughter. However,
once we laid eyes on the child's video and pictures, we were won over. In the
video, her big brown eyes flashed as she paced rhythmically, responding with
merriment to the teasing. She was full of herself. The biggest coincidence was
that she was already named Tatiana, our top choice of a Russian girl's name, in
the ethnically correct category. She was going to be our daughter! And then it
was hurry up, complete more documents and wait some more. We already loved
Tatiana but couldn't hold her yet. That summer was unbelievably long. Bruce and I wanted to go in May to get Tatiana, but the court date was elusive. May came and went, as did June. July was almost over when our court date was finally set for August 18.
The Friday afternoon we arrived in Moscow, we went to the orphanage to see Tatiana. She was every bit as charming as in the video. Additionally, she was doted upon and loved by both her caregivers and peers in the orphanage . In the back of my mind, I had pictured us bringing a child to the United States that required rescuing from a less-than-happy setting. Tatiana was well adjusted and outgoing; she had a hearty appetite and appeared well taken care of. We got to know our little munchkin, that week in Moscow and continued to be charmed, but another trip was required before we could take her home to be our daughter.
I made the second trip to Moscow alone in early September. On September 11, after 18 hours in flight with a 2 1/2 year old who had napped one hour, we arrived. Tatiana was too tired upon arrival to take in all her new surroundings, but soon, her normal, busy personality again became apparent. Tatiana is a delight to be with.
Tatiana has been a part of our lives for almost a year now. Her brother, Chris,
and her grandparents and aunt and uncle all feel Tatiana is a very special addition to
our family. Tatiana means "fairy princess" in Russian, and in many
ways Tatiana is imaginative and whimsical. She loves music, dancing and
pretending. But, she also loves baseball, swimming and tumbling. We have been
truly blessed to have this quick, outgoing and inquisitive child. It's hard to
imagine life without Tatiana.