25,000 miles to go

After our return from San Diego, we completed the last of the dossier requirements. They were sent to Adoption Options, and we were sent the referral for an 8 ½ month old boy (we’ll call him ‘A’). There was one minor concern with this referral, a correctable medical condition called a diaphragmatic hernia.

Note: A HIGHLY recommended step is to work with a US doctor that specializes in international adoptions. This specialist takes all of the information provided in the referral (photo, medical history, measurements, etc.) and provides the prospective parents information they need to consider when accepting or rejecting the referral.

On April 28th, we were told the surgery was scheduled for May 11th. Alan figured that this meant we would be leaving sometime around the 16th, since recovery time was listed as five days. Enough time to plan our work schedules, pack, and get everything we needed for our first trip. Or so we thought.

April 30th brought new information: There had been a miscommunication, and the surgery was not going to be scheduled until after the first visit. So instead of arriving around the 16th, we were now booked to arrive in Moscow on May 12th by 2pm. This would allow us to catch an overnight train ride, to arrive in the city where ‘A’ was. We still needed to meet with our specialist, decide on the referral, and book our travel plans (all by Tuesday the 4th).

Alan had some concerns about scheduling our first visit before the surgical procedure took place. Once we made that first visit, we were going to be 100% emotionally invested. What would we do if there were surgical complications?

Our international adoption specialist, Dr. Bledsoe, was able to answer all of the questions and concerns that we had. In her estimation, ‘A’ was an excellent adoption referral. His growth matched expected patterns and there was evidence he had received pre-natal care. She was able to arrange an orphanage conference call, communicating directly with the doctor in charge of ‘A’s medical care.

When they spoke, we got one heck of a surprise. The surgery had already taken place! There were no complications, and ‘A’ would be fully recovered before we arrived. We booked airline tickets to leave on May 10th, reserved transportation and a Moscow hotel, and were on our way to visit in less than a week!

We will be making two trips from Minnesota to the Russian orphanage. Each MSP to Moscow flight is 5730 miles. The train ride to ‘A’s orphanage is an additional 500 miles. By the time we are done with planes, trains, and automobiles, our Russian travels will add up to 25,000 miles or more.

Will the trip go that smoothly? Stay tuned for part 3