As we were in the process of finalizing Ethan’s adoption in the fall of 2008, we started (tentatively) making plans to begin a second adoption process.
This page summarizes Sarah’s adoption story, with links to key posts, but you can read all adoption-related by clicking on the adoption category.
On May 27, 2009, our paperwork went to Korea. While we expected a 4-month wait for a referral, it only took two months. In August, we learned It’s a Girl!
And then on October 12, 2009, we got the call informing us that it’s time!, that our baby girl was ready for travel. Several days later, we traveled to Korea to receive Sarah.
Complicating matters the second time around, though, was the fact that we had Ethan. The fact that we would be away from him while we traveled and that we wouldn’t be able to include him in that part of the experience mixed empotions.
As we did the first time around, we wrote several posts while we were in Korea. Once again, the blog was a wonderful connection point for us. After meeting Sarah at her foster family’s home in Korea, we introduced Sarah! where we also announced her name.
A day later (October 22, 2009), we officially received Sarah into our family. Later that night, we wrote about our first hours with Sarah.
Once home, we began the transition from a family of three to a family of four. Sarah has transitioned pretty well, so far. But Ethan’s transition from only child to older brother has been more challenging. We wrote a few posts describing this transition: Fluid Situation, The Joy and Grief of Growing a Family, Fluid Situation 2.0, and Fluid Situation 3.0.
Sarah’s adoption process is not yet complete. Legally, it will be finalized six-plus months after bringing her home, but emotionally, the bonding process will continue for months and years. It’s all part of the way God is molding our family together.
Thanks for sharing our journey. We are extremely grateful to God for his work in our lives, and for the gift of Sarah!
