Our First Post

We intended to start this blog a while ago. A "while ago" was sometime in the spring of 2009 when we were nearing the point of actually acting on our many discussions about adoption. The process has moved along between there and here - slower at times, longer at others, but always decisively, and in the right direction.

Here you will find a collection of anecdotes including recollections of things we've already done, thoughts on events that have yet to pass, and vivid descriptions of the inception of our family. Our family will literally form its first roots in the weeks and months to come. Sometime soon I will post a photo of us holding our son on Korean soil. And soon thereafter, you'll see a photo of the three of us in our home in Michigan. And on the heels of that momentous occasion you will read about our life with our son, Ryan.

Until our process takes its next step (which will be the receipt of our officially approved I-600 form), we will step back in time to briefly describe the steps we have taken to get to this point in the adoption process. We intend for our audience to include family, friends, parents of all types, adoptees and anyone who has adopted, is adopting, or is nearing the decision to adopt. We hope to learn how to be the best parents we can be, and how to face the lighter and darker sides of adoption with grace and responsibility so that our son can have the best life possible. But first, some facts ...

We are 31 and 29 years old, were married in 2005 and reside in Birmingham, MI. I am a consultant in the automotive industry, and my wife a teacher by trade (but currently, a stay-at-home-Cairn-Terrier-mom-slash-mom-in-training). Our dog is awesome. His name is Cooper. You'll see a lot of him. We set about trying to start a family a few years after getting married. Before doing so, we had always talked about the possibility of adoption. Little did we know what fate had in store for us. We followed a difficult road of infertility (two failed IVF cycles, many more failed IUI cycles ... injections, medications, surgeries, etc.) before coming to this great conclusion - we would adopt a child from South Korea.

So that's where you find us. Thus far our family and friends have been incredibly supportive and open-minded. We truly consider ourselves lucky to be following the road we have before us. We hope you enjoy the show, and hope that you will contribute tips and advice on the topics of parenting, adoption, Korean culture, or anything that you think might be of use for us.